Removing nested formatting leaves empty or partial elements

Phenomenon

When removing formatting from text that has nested formatting (e.g., <b><i>text</i></b>), empty or partial formatting elements may be left in the DOM. The structure becomes broken.

Reproduction example

1. Apply bold and italic to text: <b><i>formatted text</i></b>
2. Remove bold formatting
3. Observe the DOM structure

Observed behavior

• Empty <b></b> elements may remain
• Or partial nesting may remain: <b><i>text</i></b> becomes <i>text</i> but <b> wrapper may remain
• DOM structure becomes broken
• Empty elements accumulate

Expected behavior

• Formatting should be removed cleanly
• No empty elements should remain
• Structure should be normalized
• DOM should be clean

Browser Comparison

• Chrome/Edge: May leave empty elements (this case)
• Firefox: More likely to leave empty structures
• Safari: Most likely to leave broken structures

Notes and possible direction for workarounds

• Normalize formatting structure after removal
• Remove empty formatting elements
• Merge or unwrap nested structures
• Clean up DOM regularly