Butyric acid, for example, has C3H7COOH or CH3CH2CH2CO2H or C4H8O2 (This one also applies to ethyl acetate). Are there different methods for writing formulas?
In: Chemistry
The answers so far are pretty spot on but the lack of directly naming each bothers me so I’m adding in:
3 is the **“chemical (or molecular) formula”**, this is the term for the formula just basically just tells you what’s in it, and how much. No structural information is available from it but it’s a good quick overview to go ok this has so many oxygens in it and so many carbons. Good for calculating atomic weights quite quickly.
1/2 are both **”structural formula”**, this gives info about the structural makeup and what functional groups there are, and also importantly, where they are. 1 is probably what’s most likely to be used as a structural formula where you have only straight chains with 1 functionality. If there was a double bond, a carbon chain that splits off the main body, or any other non-alkane functional group etc., then 2 is what’s most likely to be used as it gives more precise information on the location.
**Personal opinion + not ELI5 after this**
You can go one further on from these with the skeletal formula which is probably the best way to do it (and I think they look nicer in general) given most circumstances as it helps you properly visualise it, but based off how/when my country teaches it, that’s a small bit further into chemistry than ELI5.
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