Differentiate between Subscript and Coefficient using the following molecule . Which is the subscript and what does it tell us AND what is the coefficient and what does it tell us? 3LiCl2

Answer 1

3 LiCl₂

First of all, this is NOT the correct formula for lithium chloride. The correct formula is LiCl. But having said that, one can still answer the question as follows:

The subscript is the 2 following the Cl. It tells us that there are TWO chloride atoms for each Li (lithium) atom.

The coefficient is the 3 in front of the Li. It tells us that there are THREE molecules of LiCl2. That also tells us that there are 3 Li atoms and 6 Cl atoms.