egarding the formula Al2O3 which of the following is accurate?

Question

Question 5 options:

A)

The chemical symbol Al indicates that argon is present in the substance.

B)

The subscript 2 indicates that two atoms of oxygen are present in the substance.

C)

The subscript 2 indicates that two atoms of aluminum are present in the substance.

D)

The coefficient 3 indicates that there are a total of three atoms of oxygen present in the substance.

Answer 1

Let's analyze the formula Al₂O₃:

• Al stands for aluminum, and the subscript 2 indicates that there are two atoms of aluminum present in the compound (not argon).
• O stands for oxygen, and the subscript 3 indicates that there are three atoms of oxygen present in the compound (not a coefficient).

Based on this analysis, the correct statement is:

C) The subscript 2 indicates that two atoms of aluminum are present in the substance.

The other options are inaccurate:

• A) is incorrect because Al represents aluminum, not argon.
• B) is incorrect because the subscript 2 refers to aluminum, not oxygen.
• D) is incorrect because there is a subscript 3, not a coefficient, which accurately indicates three oxygen atoms, not a total.

So the accurate answer is C.