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What is the order of the elements in the formula for an ionic compound?

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The metal comes first, followed by the nonmetal.
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The nonmetal comes first, followed by the metal.
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The element with the higher subscript comes first.
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The element with the lower subscript comes first.

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The correct order of elements in the formula for an ionic compound is:

The metal comes first, followed by the nonmetal.

In ionic compounds, metals (which typically have a positive charge) are written before nonmetals (which usually have a negative charge). For example, in sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium (the metal) is written before chlorine (the nonmetal).