When determining the formula for aacompound, it is important to know valence numbers of each element. Suppose that element A has a valence number of 3 and element B has a valence number 2. If the two elements combine, then when writing the formula for the resulting compound what subscript number will be given to the element B. would it be 1, 2, 3 or 5?

I think the answer is 3 so it would be B3

The least common multiple of 3 and 2 is 3x2=6

For each of the two elements,
valence x subscript = 6
Based on that, the formula would be A2B3

You are partially correct. When determining the formula for a compound, the valence numbers of each element are important. In this case, element A has a valence number of 3 and element B has a valence number of 2. The subscript number indicates the number of atoms of each element in the compound.

To determine the subscript number for element B, you need to consider the valence numbers of both elements and find the least common multiple (LCM) of their valence numbers. The LCM of 3 and 2 is 6. Therefore, the subscript number for element B would be 3.

So, the correct formula for the compound would be B3.

To determine the formula for a compound formed by the combination of elements A and B, you need to consider their valence numbers. The valence number is the number of bonds that an atom of an element can form with other atoms.

In this case, element A has a valence number of 3, which means it can form three bonds. Element B has a valence number of 2, indicating it can form two bonds.

To balance the charges in a compound, the total positive charges from the element with the higher valence number must equal the total negative charges from the element with the lower valence number.

Since element A has a valence number of 3 and element B has a valence number of 2, the compound needs three atoms of B to balance the charge. Therefore, the subscript number for element B in the formula would be 3.

So, you are correct, the formula for the resulting compound would be B3.