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How To Count Atoms: Charge

The document provides instructions on how to count atoms in chemical formulas using subscripts, coefficients, and charge. It explains that subscripts indicate the number of atoms, coefficients indicate the number of molecules, and charge represents a gain or loss of electrons compared to the number of protons in the element. Sample chemical formulas and their breakdown in terms of atoms are given to demonstrate these principles.

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Alan Martín
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135 views3 pages

How To Count Atoms: Charge

The document provides instructions on how to count atoms in chemical formulas using subscripts, coefficients, and charge. It explains that subscripts indicate the number of atoms, coefficients indicate the number of molecules, and charge represents a gain or loss of electrons compared to the number of protons in the element. Sample chemical formulas and their breakdown in terms of atoms are given to demonstrate these principles.

Uploaded by

Alan Martín
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to count Atoms

Charge
● Top right corner behind the element symbol
● Gain or loss of electrons to achieve full valence
● Imbalance of number of protons (+) vs. number of electrons (-)
● Proton number stays the same – identity of element

Example So…
O2- 2 more electrons than protons
Oxygen – 8 protons, 10 electrons
Cl- 1 more electron than protons
Chlorine – 17 protons, 18 electrons
Ca2+ 2 more protons than electrons
Calcium – 20 protons, 18 electrons

Subscript
● lower right corner behind the element symbol
● To indicate the number of atoms

Example So…
H2 2 hydrogen atoms
H2O 2 hydrogen atoms
1 oxygen atom
K2SO3 2 potassium atoms
1 sulfur atom
3 oxygen atoms

Subscript outside brackets


● Multiples all elements inside the brackets

Example So…
Mg(OH)2 1 magnesium atom
2 oxygen atoms
2 hydrogen atoms
Mg3(PO4)2 3 magnesium atoms
2 phosphorous atoms
8 oxygen atoms

Coefficient
● Written in front of a chemical formula
● Indicates the number of molecules of that compound
● Multiples the number of atoms of each element in that formula

Example So…
2 H2O 2 water molecules
4 hydrogen atoms
2 oxygen atoms
4 Pb(NO3)2 4 lead (II) nitrate molecules
4 lead atoms
8 nitrogen atoms
24 oxygen atoms

Your turn to practice (!)

Na2CO3 Ca3(PO4)2
Type of atom # of atoms Type of atom # of atoms
Na 2 Ca 3
C 1 P 2
O 3 O 8
K2CrO4 3 BaCl2
Type of atom # of atoms Type of atom # of atoms
K 2 Ba 3
Cr 1 Cl 6
O 4
NH4C2H3O2 4 Al2(CO3)3
Type of atom # of atoms Type of atom # of atoms
N 1 Al 8
H 7 C 12
C 2 O 36
O 2
5 Pb(SO4)2 2 (NH4)2Cr2O7
Type of atom # of atoms Type of atom # of atoms
Pb 5 N 4
S 10 H 16
O 40 Cr 4
O 14
Example -

Ba(OH)2 Ba(OH)2 Ba(OH)2 Ba(OH)2

4 Ba(OH)2

4 Ba

8O

8H

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