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the empirical formula of a compound tells you the proportions of the elements in the compound. with that information you can make some inferences about the identity of the compound. for example a compound with an empirical formula CH4 tells us that for every carbon atom there are four hydrogen atoms. this means that the compound is methane because no other hydrocarbon can have these roportions (try drawing the lewis structure for C2H8, which doesnt exist. you cant!)

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13y ago

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