what is the total number of atoms in the compound (NH4)3PO4?

(NH4)3PO4

=
Nitrogen = 3
Hydrogen = 4x3 (12)
Phosphorus = 1
Oxygen = 4
3+12+1+4=20

the answer is there are 20 atoms

20

Well, let's see... to get the total number of atoms in (NH4)3PO4, we need to break it down and count each element. So, in (NH4)3PO4, we have:

1 nitrogen (N)
12 hydrogen (H) atoms (since there are 3 ammonium ions)
1 phosphorus (P)
4 oxygen (O) atoms

If we add all those up, we get a grand total of...[drumroll]...18 atoms in (NH4)3PO4! Phew, that's a lot of atoms to juggle, isn't it?

To find the total number of atoms in the compound (NH4)3PO4, we need to count the number of atoms for each element in the compound and then add them up.

In (NH4)3PO4:
(NH4) means there are 4 hydrogen atoms per ammonium ion.
PO4 means there is one phosphate ion, which consists of 1 phosphorus atom and 4 oxygen atoms.

So, let's break it down step by step:
1. Ammonium ion (NH4+): It consists of 1 nitrogen atom (N) and 4 hydrogen atoms (H). Therefore, we have 1 N atom and 4 H atoms for each ammonium ion.
Since there are 3 ammonium ions in the compound, we multiply the number of atoms by 3:
1 N atom × 3 = 3 N atoms
4 H atoms × 3 = 12 H atoms

2. Phosphate ion (PO4^3-): It consists of 1 phosphorus atom (P) and 4 oxygen atoms (O). Therefore, we have 1 P atom and 4 O atoms for each phosphate ion.

So, let's add up the total number of atoms:
3 N atoms (from ammonium ions)
12 H atoms (from ammonium ions)
1 P atom (from phosphate ion)
4 O atoms (from phosphate ion)

Adding them all together:
3 N atoms + 12 H atoms + 1 P atom + 4 O atoms = 20 atoms

Thus, the total number of atoms in the compound (NH4)3PO4 is 20.

Worng

Pick a number. Any number you choose will be correct because you didn't specify how much (NH3)3PO4 you have. I assume you means for 1 molecule. There are 3N, 9H, 1P and 4O for a total of 17 per molecule.