When using chemical formula it is possible to calculate the percentage composition of the chemical. This can be useful when extracting metals from ores or when making fertilisers for specific plants.
of~an~element} = \frac{mass~of~an~element~in~the~compound}{relative~formula~mass~M_r} \times 100\) There are six atoms of hydrogen in the compound, so the mass of hydrogen is 6 × 1 = 6.