Multifragmentation and the symmetry term of the nuclear equation of state

13 pages, 4 figuresWe investigate the possibility of extracting the symmetry energy from multifragmentation data. The applicability of the grandcanonical formula earlier proposed by Ono et al. [Phys. Rev. C 68, 051601(R) (2003)] in the case of finite excited nuclei is tested within a microcanonical framework. Relatively good results are obtained except for large residual nuclei, especially when large sources are highly excited. Effects of secondary particle emission and the extent in which relevant information may be inferred from experimental observables are finally discussed