What is the chemical formula of a molecular compound called?

• A. Molecular formula
• B. Empirical formula
• C. Structural formula
• D. Ionic formula

Answer: (A)

Understanding what a molecular formula represents helps answer this. The formula of a molecular compound is its molecular formula, which shows the exact number of each type of atom in one molecule. For example, water has the molecular formula H2O, meaning each molecule contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. This differs from the empirical formula, which only shows the simplest whole-number ratio of elements (not the actual counts in a molecule), and from a structural formula, which shows how the atoms are connected and arranged. An ionic formula is used for compounds made of ions, not discrete molecules. So the formula that names a molecular compound is the molecular formula.