Regarding the formula $Al_2 O_3$, which of the following is accurate?
A) The chemical symbol Al indicates that argon is present in the substance.
B) The subscript 2 indicates that two atoms of aluminum are present in the substance.
C) The coefficient 3 indicates that there are a total of three atoms of oxygen present in the substance.
D) The subscript 2 indicates that two atoms of oxygen are present in the substance.
Answer (2)
The chemical formula A l 2 O 3 represents aluminum oxide.
Al is the symbol for aluminum, and O is the symbol for oxygen.
The subscript 2 indicates two aluminum atoms, and the subscript 3 indicates three oxygen atoms.
Therefore, the accurate statement is that the subscript 2 indicates two atoms of aluminum are present in the substance, so the answer is B .
Explanation
Analyzing the Options We are given the chemical formula A l 2 O 3 and asked to identify the accurate statement about it. Let's analyze each option:
Option A: The chemical symbol Al indicates that argon is present in the substance. This is incorrect. Al is the chemical symbol for aluminum, not argon.
Option B: The subscript 2 indicates that two atoms of aluminum are present in the substance. This is correct. The subscript following a chemical symbol indicates the number of atoms of that element in the molecule. In this case, A l 2 means there are two aluminum atoms.
Option C: The coefficient 3 indicates that there are a total of three atoms of oxygen present in the substance. This is incorrect. There is no coefficient in front of O 3 . The subscript 3 indicates that there are three oxygen atoms.
Option D: The subscript 2 indicates that two atoms of oxygen are present in the substance. This is incorrect. The subscript next to oxygen is 3, meaning there are three oxygen atoms.
Identifying the Correct Statement Based on the analysis, the accurate statement is that the subscript 2 indicates that two atoms of aluminum are present in the substance.
Final Answer Therefore, the correct answer is B.
Examples
Understanding chemical formulas like A l 2 O 3 is crucial in various real-life applications. For instance, in material science, knowing the composition of aluminum oxide helps engineers design durable and corrosion-resistant materials. Aluminum oxide is used in coatings, abrasives, and even in biomedical implants due to its biocompatibility. By correctly interpreting the subscripts in the formula, scientists can accurately predict the properties and behavior of the compound, leading to innovations in different fields.
The accurate statement regarding the formula A l 2 O 3 is that the subscript 2 indicates the presence of two aluminum atoms. Therefore, the correct answer is B. Understanding the composition helps in identifying the compound as aluminum oxide.
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