Which formula shows how atoms are bonded?

• A. Structural formula
• B. Molecular formula
• C. Empirical formula
• D. Condensed formula

Answer: (A)

Understanding how atoms are bonded means knowing which atoms are connected to which and by what type of bond. The structural formula does exactly that by using lines to show bonds between atoms, making the connectivity and bond order explicit. It lets you see which atoms are attached to each other and how the molecule is arranged.

Molecular formulas simply count how many of each atom are present, without showing connections. Empirical formulas give the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms, also not about connectivity. Condensed formulas write the atoms in sequence but often leave out the actual bonding pattern, so they don’t reliably convey which atoms are bonded to which. So the structural formula is the one that shows how atoms are bonded.