What term describes the unit that shows the ratio of elements in a compound?

What term describes the unit that shows the ratio of elements in a compound?

• A. Bonding
• B. Isotopes
• C. Formula / Formulae
• D. Lattice

Answer: (C)

The term that describes the unit showing the ratio of elements in a compound is the chemical formula. A formula tells you how many atoms of each element are present in a molecule, giving the exact ratios—for example, H2O shows two hydrogens for every one oxygen, and NaCl shows a 1:1 ratio of sodium to chlorine. The formula can be the empirical formula, which gives the simplest whole-number ratio (like CH2O), or the molecular formula, which shows the actual numbers in a molecule (like C6H12O6). Bonding is about how atoms are held together, isotopes are variants of the same element with different neutrons, and a lattice describes a crystal arrangement of particles. None of those describe the ratio of elements in a compound the way a formula does.

The term that describes the unit showing the ratio of elements in a compound is the chemical formula. A formula tells you how many atoms of each element are present in a molecule, giving the exact ratios—for example, H2O shows two hydrogens for every one oxygen, and NaCl shows a 1:1 ratio of sodium to chlorine. The formula can be the empirical formula, which gives the simplest whole-number ratio (like CH2O), or the molecular formula, which shows the actual numbers in a molecule (like C6H12O6).

Bonding is about how atoms are held together, isotopes are variants of the same element with different neutrons, and a lattice describes a crystal arrangement of particles. None of those describe the ratio of elements in a compound the way a formula does.