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Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: XxslbabesxX on September 02, 2005, 10:18:32 PM

Title: Reducing a Formula
Post by: XxslbabesxX on September 02, 2005, 10:18:32 PM

This may be a silly question, but I was wondering why, for example, Cr₂O₆ has to be reduce to CrO₃ (according to my teacher), but for something like Octane, C₈H₁₈, it does not reduce to C₄H₉.

Title: Re:Reducing a Formula
Post by: Yggdrasil on September 03, 2005, 12:43:27 AM

It has to do with whether the compound is ionic or covalent.  In ionic compounds, the formula represents the ratio of atoms in the crystaline solid.  There are no actual molecules of CrO₃.  Therefore, the empirical forumla is used.  However, in a covalently-bound compound, actual molecules do exist and these molecules consist of the exact number of atoms described in the molecular structure.

Title: Re:Reducing a Formula
Post by: XxslbabesxX on September 03, 2005, 11:10:12 PM

Thank you for your help :)