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( Structural formula)
The structural formula of a chemical compound is a graphical representation of the molecular structure showing how the atoms are arranged. The chemical bonding within the molecule is also shown, either explicitly or implicitly. There are three common representations used in publications, condensed, Lewis type and line-angle formulæ. There are also several formats used for structural representation in chemical databases, such as SMILES, InChI and CML. Unlike molecular formulae or chemical names, structural formulas provide a representation of the molecular structure. Chemists nearly always describe a chemical reaction or synthesis using structural formulas rather than by chemical names, because the structural formulas allow the chemist to visualize the molecules and the changes that occur. Many chemical compounds exist in different isomeric forms which have different structures yet the same overall chemical formula. A structural formula indicates the arrangements of atoms in a way that a chemical formula cannot. In early organic chemistry publications, where use of graphics was severely limited, a text-based system arose to describe organic structures in a line of text. Although this system tends to break down with complex cyclic compounds, it remains a convenient way to represent simple structures such as ethanol
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