06 Structural formula
The structural formula shows the number and kind of atoms and how they are linked by covalent bonds. In organic compounds the valency of each element is constant: carbon is tetravalent (4 bonds), hydrogen is monovalent (1), oxygen is divalent (2), nitrogen is trivalent (3), halogens are monovalent. Each single bond = one valence unit. So every carbon in a structural formula must have exactly four bonds around it.
Examples: C₂H₆ is CH₃–CH₃; CH₄O is CH₃–OH; C₂H₄ is CH₂=CH₂; C₂H₂ is HC≡CH; C₂H₄Cl₂ can be CH₃–CHCl₂ or ClCH₂–CH₂Cl.
The structural formula is better than the molecular formula because one molecular formula can stand for several different compounds; only the structural formula tells which one is meant and explains its properties.