Question

How many O atoms are present in sodium chlorate?

6
1
3
4
none of the above

Answer 1

3.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sodium chlorate has the formula NaClO3. We know this because sodium is Na, chlorine is Cl, and because of naming rules. When a compound ends in -ate, it has 3 oxygen atoms. This is the naming rule list with chlorine as the example:

perchlorate: 4 O atoms

chlorate: 3 O atoms

chlorite: 2 O atoms

hypochlorite: 1 O atom