Which one of the following is NOT an empirical formula?

• A. NH_3
• B. C_6H_{12}O_6
• C. NaCl
• D. CH_2O

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that an empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.
2. Examine each given formula to determine if the subscripts can be reduced to smaller whole numbers while maintaining the same ratio.
3. For NH_3, the ratio of nitrogen to hydrogen is 1:3, which is already in the simplest form.
4. For NaCl, the ratio of sodium to chlorine is 1:1, which is also the simplest form.
5. For C_6H_{12}O_6, check if the subscripts can be divided by a common factor to simplify the ratio; since 6, 12, and 6 can all be divided by 6, the empirical formula would be CH_2O, so C_6H_{12}O_6 is not an empirical formula.