When are an empirical formula and a molecular formula the same?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An empirical formula and a molecular formula can be the same when the mass of the empirical formula unit is equal to the molecular mass. In other words, the molecular formula is a simple integer multiple of the empirical formula. For example, the empirical formula of glucose is CH2O (which represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the atoms in the molecule), but the true molecular formula is C6H12O6 (which represents the actual number of atoms in the molecule, which is six times greater than the empirical formula). However, if the molecular formula is already in the simplest whole-number ratio, then it is already the empirical formula as well.

When Are an Empirical Formula and a Molecular Formula the Same