Chemical Formulas

Matter and Energy

Chemical Formulas
Part I: The Big Picture

Reminder: H is the element symbol for hydrogen.

H2 is the chemical formula for hydrogen. The subscript 2 after the H

means that two atoms of hydrogen make up a single molecule of
hydrogen gas. Subscripts for a particular kind of molecule never
change, because these numbers describe how many of the same
type of atom are present in a particular molecule.

Reminder: O is the element symbol for oxygen.

O2 is the chemical formula for oxygen. The subscript 2 after the O means that two atoms of oxygen
make up a single molecule of oxygen gas. Remember that a subscript shows how many of the
same type of atom are in the molecule and does not change.

H2O is the chemical formula for water. The subscript 2 after the H means two hydrogen atoms and
one oxygen atom make up a single molecule of water. Remember that a subscript describes how
many of the same type of atom are in the molecule and does not change.

If an atom within a molecule is not followed by a subscript, then only one of that type of atom is
present in the molecule.

For example:

is represented by the
A molecule of … and is the same as …
chemical formula …
Water H2O H2O1

Carbon dioxide CO2 C1O2

Continue with Part I on the next page.

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 Chemical Formulas
Matter and Energy

Part I: The Big Picture, continued

Subscripts in a chemical formula do not change, because they identify the substance. For example,
water is always H2O, never H3O. It does not matter if water is a reactant or a product; water is
always identified as H2O to represent two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen in every
molecule of water.

However, the total number of water molecules present in a reaction can change. For example,
2H2O means that two molecules of water are present, 3H2O means that three molecules of water
are present, 4H2O means that four molecules of water are present, and so on. In these examples,
the numbers 2, 3, and 4 before H2O are called coefficients and show how many molecules are
present.

For example:

A molecule of... is represented and when a then that is the number of

by the coefficient molecules present.
chemical appears before
formula... the chemical If a coefficient does not
formula... appear before the chemical
formula, that means just one
molecule is present.

Water H2O 4H2O 4 water molecules

Carbon dioxide CO2 3CO2 3 carbon dioxide molecules

Carbon dioxide CO2 CO2 1 carbon dioxide molecule;

means the same thing as 1CO2

Answer the questions for Part I in your Student Journal.

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 Chemical Formulas
Matter and Energy

Part II: Chemical Formulas

Now that you know some of the basics, let us look at each part of the chemical formula in further
detail. In a chemical reaction, substances react with each other to make new substances with
different properties. Each molecule is represented by a specific chemical formula.

A chemical formula tells you how many atoms of each element are found within each substance.
The number of atoms of each element within a molecule is shown by the subscript that is found
after each elemental symbol. If there is no subscript after the atom, then there is only one atom of
that element in the substance.

Work with your group to identify the types and number of atoms in a chemical formula and make
models to represent chemical formulas. Use different cube colors to represent each element in the
chemical formula as follows:

Red = Hydrogen Yellow = Chlorine

Orange = Copper Dark Brown = Zinc
Light Brown = Oxygen Light Blue = Carbon
Dark Blue = SodiumBlack = Magnesium

Procedure

Identify the elements in the chemical formula.

Determine the number of atoms of each element in the chemical formula.
Use the color cubes to make a model of the chemical formula.
Draw colored boxes to represent the atoms in your chemical formula.

Complete the activity for Part II in your Student Journal.