The temperature of a chemical compound was 2 C at 4:00 A.M. During a reaction, it dropped 3 C per minute until 4:12 A.M. What was the temperature at 4:12 A.M.?
From 4:00 A.M. to 4:12 A.M., there are 12 minutes in total.
Since the temperature dropped 3 C per minute, the total temperature drop is 3 C * 12 minutes = <<3*12=36>>36 C.
Therefore, the temperature at 4:12 A.M. is 2 C - 36 C = -34 C. Answer: \boxed{-34}.
To find the temperature at 4:12 A.M., we need to calculate the number of minutes that have passed from 4:00 A.M. to 4:12 A.M.
To do this, we subtract the two times:
4:12 A.M. - 4:00 A.M. = 12 minutes
Now we know that 12 minutes have passed.
Next, we need to calculate the temperature drop over this time period. The temperature dropped 3°C per minute, so we multiply the number of minutes by the rate of temperature drop:
12 minutes x 3°C/minute = 36°C
Therefore, the temperature at 4:12 A.M. was 2°C - 36°C = -34°C.
Note that the negative sign (-) indicates a drop in temperature.