53. Which of the following is NOT a correct interpretation of CH2O, the formula of the compound formaldehyde?

A CH2O is a molecular formula.

B There are two grams of hydrogen for each gram of carbon in this compound.

C CH2O is an empirical formula.

D There are two moles of hydrogen for each mole of oxygen in this compound.

B There are two grams of hydrogen for each gram of carbon in this compound.

Explanation:

The second option is a wrong interpretation of this chemical representation of formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH₂O.

As this is the simplest formula of the compound, it is the empirical formula. Also, the formula is the actual one for the compound and it is the molecular formula.

Chemically, the formula shows 1 mole of carbon, 2 moles of H and 1 mole of oxygen in the compound.

A mole of a substance is more a less a unit of measurement in chemistry and it is the amount of substance that contains the avogadro's number of particles.

This ratio is not the mass of chemical species in the compound. You cannot tell the mass of elements in a compound by merely looking at the formula.