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Structural Formula

Three Dimensional Formulas

All of these structural formulas show you a flat molecule on a flat piece of paper. However, most carbon-containing molecules are three-dimensional; some of the atoms stick forward toward you from the carbon chain, and some project to the rear of the molecule. Chemists have devised special ways to show these forward- and backward-projecting atoms in order to understand how three-dimensional molecules behave. These three-dimensional structural formulas are often used when complex molecules are studied.

See also Chemical bond; Formula, chemical; Compound, chemical


Resources

Books

Carey, Francis A. Organic Chemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.

Djerassi, Carl. Steroids Made It Possible. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 1990.

Mark, Herman F. From Small Organic Chemicals to Large: a Century of Progress. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 1993.

Mauskopf, Seymour H. Chemical Sciences in the Modern World. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993.


G. Lynn Carlson

KEY TERMS

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Chemical formula

—A way to show the number and kind of atoms combined together in a single pure substance.

Compound

—A pure substance that consists of two or more elements, in specific proportions, joined by chemical bonds. The properties of the compound may differ greatly from those of the elements it is made from.

Covalent compound

—A chemical compound which uses shared electrons to form bonds between atoms. The atoms do not become electrically charged as in ionic compounds.

Ionic compound

—A compound consisting of positive ions (usually, metal ions) and negative ions (nonmetal ions) held together by electrostatic attraction.

Molecule

—A chemical compound held together by covalent bonds.

Valence

—The combining power of an atom, or how many bonds it can make with other atoms. For the examples used in this article, carbon atoms can make four bonds, oxygen atoms can make two bonds, and hydrogen atoms can make one bond.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Formate to GastropodaStructural Formula - Complete Structural Formulas, Line Formulas, Three Dimensional Formulas - Condensed structural formulas