Question

____ formula is used to show the lowest whole-number ratio of elements in a compound.
a chemical
b empirical
c molecular

Explanation:

To solve this, we recall the definitions of each formula type:

• Option a: A chemical formula is a general term, but it doesn't specifically refer to the lowest whole - number ratio.
• Option b: An empirical formula is defined as the formula that shows the lowest whole - number ratio of the elements in a compound. For example, for glucose ($C_6H_{12}O_6$), the empirical formula is $CH_2O$ (the ratio of C:H:O is 1:2:1, the lowest whole - number ratio).
• Option c: A molecular formula shows the actual number of each type of atom in a molecule. For example, the molecular formula of glucose is $C_6H_{12}O_6$, which is not the lowest ratio (it can be simplified to $CH_2O$ for the empirical formula).

Answer:

b. Empirical