empirical formula n a chemical formula showing the simplest ratio of elements in a compound rather than the total number of atoms in the molecule <CH2O is the empirical formula for glucose> compare MOLECULAR FORMULA
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a chemical formula that expresses the proportions of the elements present in a substance. For substances composed of discrete molecules, it expresses the relative numbers of atoms present in a molecule of the substance in the smallest whole numbers. For example, the empirical formula for ethane is written CH3, whereas its actual molecular formula is C2H6.Medical dictionary. 2011.