Question

Explain when and why parentheses are necessary when writing chemical formulas that include

polyatomic ions. Provide an example with your explanation. Make sure to discuss how removing the
parentheses from your example would change the readers understanding of the formula.

Answer 1

- the 2 in this formula is called the subscript. It refers only to the element preceding it. In this case the F (fluorine).

- in some chemical formulas it is necessary to use parentheses. The subscript outside the parentheses refers to all the elements inside the parentheses. In this example there are: one Al (aluminum), three N (nitrogen), and nine O (oxygen).

- the 3 in this formula is called the coefficient. It refers to each element that follows. In this case there would be 3 Ba (barium) and 3 F2 (a total of 6 fluorine).

Step-by-step explanation: