BIOWEB
nverdae@nvcc.edu
Emma Erdahl, Associate Professor of Biology
Northern Virginia Community College
Revised 8/23/00
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Which of the following information is given by a structural formula but not by a molecular formula? a. atom types b. number of atoms of each type c. bonding pattern in the molecule If your response was the bonding pattern in the molecule, you are right!! Both molecular formulas and structural formulas give the atom types and the number of atoms of each type. However, only structural formulas give information about the bonding pattern of the molecule. Do you know what the lines between atoms in a structural formula represent? Each line represents a covalent bond or a pair of shared electrons. How many pairs of electrons is each oxygen atom sharing with the carbon atom? O=C=O I hope you agree that it is two! Be sure you can define structural isomers and be able to explain why structural formulas are so important in organic chemistry. |
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