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Empirical Formulas from Mass Percent Composition
- An empirical formula gives only the smallest whole-number ratio of each type of atom in a compound, not the specific number of each type of atom in a molecule.
- The molecular formula is always a whole-number multiple of the empirical formula.
- For example, the molecular formula for hydrogen peroxide is H2O2 and its empirical formula is HO.
- Molecular formula = Empirical × n , where n = 1, 2, 3 . . .
- n = 2 for hydrogen peroxide