Question

In the reaction of lithium with oxygen, what expected compound is formed? If the compound is written Liₓoᵧ, what is x+y? For example, water is H₂0. In this case x =2, y = 1, and you write 3 in the space provided for the answer.

Answer 1

The expected compound formed when lithium reacts with oxygen is lithium oxide, with the chemical formula Li2O. According to its formula, x equals 2 and y equals 1, so the sum x + y is 3.

Step-by-step explanation:

When lithium reacts with oxygen, the expected compound formed is lithium oxide, with the formula Li2O. This compound consists of two lithium ions (Li+) and one oxide ion (O2-), and the formula indicates that the two lithium ions are required to balance the charge of the single oxide ion.

The crisscross method is a technique to write correct formulas for ionic compounds. It involves crossing over the numerical value of the charge of one ion to become the subscript of the other ion while ignoring the signs. For example, with lithium oxide, lithium has a +1 charge and oxygen has a -2 charge; so crossing the charges over gives us two lithium ions for every one oxygen ion.

Therefore, the formula for the compound formed between lithium and oxygen is Li2O. To answer the question, in the compound LixOy, x is equal to 2 and y is equal to 1, hence x + y = 2 + 1 = 3.