Question

Place the steps for writing chemical formulas in the proper order.
Arrange responses in the correct order to answer the question. Select a response, navigate to the desired position and insert response at that position. Responses can be selected and inserted using the space bar, enter key, left mouse button or touchpad. Responses can be moved using the up and down arrow keys or by dragging with a mouse.

Answer 1

1. Decide whether the compound is ionic (metal + nonmetal or contains polyatomic ions) or molecular (two nonmetals).
2. Write the correct chemical symbols (or polyatomic ion formulas) for the two species. For ionic compounds, also note each ion’s charge.
3. For ionic compounds: use the magnitude of each ion’s charge to determine subscripts that make the total positive and negative charge equal (criss‑cross the charge magnitudes to become subscripts, ignoring signs).
4. Reduce those subscripts to the smallest whole‑number ratio (divide by the greatest common divisor).
5. If a polyatomic ion appears with a subscript greater than 1, place the polyatomic formula in parentheses and put the subscript outside the parentheses.
6. For molecular (covalent) compounds: use prefixes (mono-, di-, tri-, etc.) to indicate the number of each atom (omit “mono-” on the first element).
7. Check the final formula to ensure it is neutral (for ionic) and in simplest whole‑number form (and that naming/prefix rules were applied correctly for molecular compounds).