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Many times, the amount of a substance (whether it be in grams or moles) is
given along with its name, but what happens if the name of the substance isn't
given? To answer this, we must review (Section 5), because it contains many of
the basic principles that will be applied in this section. Below is an example
which will explain how the mole, molecular weight, and percent composition are
intertwined. However, some vocabulary should be defined to you before reading
the example. The first word is empirical formula, and it is defined as the
simplest whole number ratio of the various types of atoms in a compound. The
second word is molecular formula, and it is simply the formula of a molecule.
Here is an example which might explain things better. Examples of empirical
formulas are C02, H2O, and CH4. Examples of
molecular formulas are C2O4, H4O2,
and C2H8.
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