Chemicals With the Same Empirical Formula
An empirical formula lists the elements of a compound but not the structure. Oxalic acid has the formula C2H2O4. Its structure is HOOC–COOH. Multiple compounds can have the same empirical formula and a different structure. The Same Yet Different Location of a specific kind of bond may make the difference. There are compounds with the same empirical formula in which spatial orientation is the only difference. Sometimes one structure can be changed into another structure of the same formula. Most often compounds having the same formula but different structures are completely unrelated. Simple Bond Shift In some cases, a simple bond shift produces different structures with no formula change. An example is 1-butene and 2-butene. The first has the structure H2C=CH-CH2-CH3. The second has the structure H3C-CH=CH-CH3. Both have the…