What do coefficients and subscripts represent

The subscript is the amount of atoms of the element in that molecule. The coefficient tells you how many of that molecule you have. The coefficient tells you how many molecules of that substance there is.

The subscript tells you what the substance it. It tells you the the amount of each element there are in the molecule. Changing it would change the substance itself. Chemistry Matter Elements. Blais-ing P. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Im confuse on whats the question is asking. Subscripts and Coefficients both show the quantity of elements. The difference is that subscripts show the number of atoms in a molecule, while coefficients show the number of molecules there are.

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Asked 3 years, 1 month ago. Is there a difference? How do I tell which one to use?

Yes, there is a difference, and it does matter! The placement of subscripts and coefficients tells you how the substances are put together on the atomic level. This one indicates that two moles of lithium combine with one mole of sulfur to form one mole of lithium sulfide. In this case, the smallest building block of a lithium sulfide crystal would contain two lithium ions for every one sulfide ion.

Here's a picture from wikipedia to demonstrate:. Coefficients tell us the number of moles, molecules, or formula units of a species. Why is Lithium in the first reaction written with a small 2, while in the second one Aluminium is written with a big 2. This is because in the first equation, the product has two lithium ions for every one sulfur in the formula unit, while in the second, two moles of aluminum tribromide are produced for every two moles of aluminum, but the formula unit contains only one aluminum atom and three bromine atoms.

You would have to know what the formula of the product is. In these examples, you can predict it by assuming that they are ionic compounds and balancing charges.

You would get the correct answer, even though this assumption is not true for the second equation it is actually a covalent compound, and you would just get the right answer by luck. The question is quickly answered when you consider the ionic forms of the elements you present. It is easy if you break down the reaction into simple oxidation and reduction reactions:. Since the resulting compounds of your reactions are neutral, all we have to do is to match up the starting compounds in the right amounts to get to the right final products.

This should answer your question about which one to use. Which one you mean depends on the formula you give and can be a barrier of understanding in a conversation.