Question

Select the correct answer from each drop-down menu.

The chemical formula for sulfuric acid is H2SO4.
In 2H2SO4, the number of hydrogen atoms is ______, the number of sulfur atoms is ______, and the number of oxygen atoms is ______.

Answer 1

In 2H2SO4, there are 4 hydrogen atoms, 2 sulfur atoms, and 8 oxygen atoms, calculated by multiplying the subscript of each element in the formula by the coefficient in front of the formula, which indicates the number of molecules.

Step-by-step explanation:

The chemical formula for sulfuric acid is H2SO4. When we have 2H2SO4, we are looking at two molecules of sulfuric acid. To find the number of atoms of each element in two molecules, we multiply the subscript of each element in the formula by 2, because the coefficient in front of the formula indicates how many times we count each of these groups.

• Hydrogen atoms: There are 2 hydrogen atoms per molecule of H2SO4, so in 2H2SO4 there would be 2 * 2 = 4 hydrogen atoms.
  
• Sulfur atoms: Each molecule of H2SO4 contains 1 sulfur atom, so in 2H2SO4 there would be 2 * 1 = 2 sulfur atoms.
  
• Oxygen atoms: There are 4 oxygen atoms per molecule of H2SO4, so in 2H2SO4 there would be 2 * 4 = 8 oxygen atoms.

Therefore, in 2H2SO4, the number of hydrogen atoms is 4, the number of sulfur atoms is 2, and the number of oxygen atoms is 8.