Chemistry

a chemical formula showing the simplest ratio of elements in a compound rather than the total number of atoms in the molecule

a chemical formula for a compound existing as discrete molecules that gives the total number of atoms of each element in a molecule

an atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons

the chemical formula with the least number of elements out of the set of empirical formulas having the same proportion of ions as elements