For each compound below, count the TOTAL number of atoms.
Remember:
the subscripts tell you how many of each atom are in the compound. If there is NO subscript, it is understood to be 1.
a chemical symbol will have 1 or 2 letters. The first letter is always uppercase, and the second letter will be lower case.
if a polyatomic ion is in parentheses, the number outside the parentheses will distribute to all atoms inside the parentheses. For example: In the compound, Fe2(CO3)3 - There are 2 Fe atoms, 3 (3x1) C atoms, and 9 O (3 x 3) atoms.
Li2SO4
a.3 total atoms.
b.2 total atoms.
c.4 total atoms.
d.10 total atoms.
e.5 total atoms.
f.13 total atoms.
g.7 total atoms.
h.6 total atoms.
To find the total number of atoms in Li2SO4, we first need to identify the number of each atom in the compound:
Li2SO4
There are 2 Li (lithium) atoms.
There is 1 S (sulfur) atom.
There are 4 O (oxygen) atoms.
Now, we add up the total number of atoms:
2 Li + 1 S + 4 O = 7 total atoms
Therefore, the correct answer is g. 7 total atoms.