What is the molecular formula of glucose?

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Multiple Choice

What is the molecular formula of glucose?

Explanation:
Glucose is a six-carbon sugar, so its molecular formula shows six carbon atoms, twelve hydrogens, and six oxygens. That full formula is C6H12O6, reflecting the actual number of each type of atom in a single glucose molecule. In carbohydrate chemistry, CH2O is the simplest, or empirical, formula representing the common ratio of elements in sugars. For glucose, you multiply that simple unit six times to get the full molecule: C6H12O6. So CH2O is not the complete molecular formula, it’s the basic ratio, while C6H12O6 is the actual formula for glucose. A common alternative you might see, C12H22O11, corresponds to a disaccharide like sucrose—two sugar units linked together—not glucose itself.

Glucose is a six-carbon sugar, so its molecular formula shows six carbon atoms, twelve hydrogens, and six oxygens. That full formula is C6H12O6, reflecting the actual number of each type of atom in a single glucose molecule.

In carbohydrate chemistry, CH2O is the simplest, or empirical, formula representing the common ratio of elements in sugars. For glucose, you multiply that simple unit six times to get the full molecule: C6H12O6. So CH2O is not the complete molecular formula, it’s the basic ratio, while C6H12O6 is the actual formula for glucose.

A common alternative you might see, C12H22O11, corresponds to a disaccharide like sucrose—two sugar units linked together—not glucose itself.

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