Which term represents the fixed proportion of elements in a compound according to the Law of Definite Proportions?

• A. Atomic number
• B. Mole ratio
• C. Chemical formula
• D. Empirical law

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the Law of Definite Proportions, which states that a chemical compound always contains the same elements in exactly the same fixed proportion by mass.
2. Identify the term that represents this fixed proportion of elements in a compound. The atomic number refers to the number of protons in an atom and does not describe proportions in compounds.
3. Mole ratio describes the relative number of moles of each element in a compound but is not the term that directly represents the fixed proportion according to the law.
4. The empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms in a compound, but the chemical formula gives the exact fixed proportion of elements in the compound.
5. Therefore, the chemical formula is the term that represents the fixed proportion of elements in a compound as described by the Law of Definite Proportions.