Questions: The chemical formula for calcium bicarbonate is:
Ca(HCO3)2
How many carbon atoms are in each formula unit of calcium bicarbonate?
Transcript text: The chemical formula for calcium bicarbonate is:
\[
\mathrm{Ca}\left(\mathrm{HCO}_{3}\right)_{2}
\]
How many carbon atoms are in each formula unit of calcium bicarbonate? $\square$
Solution
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify the components of the chemical formula
The chemical formula for calcium bicarbonate is given as:
\[
\mathrm{Ca}\left(\mathrm{HCO}_{3}\right)_{2}
\]
Step 2: Determine the number of bicarbonate ions
The subscript "2" outside the parentheses indicates that there are 2 bicarbonate ions (\(\mathrm{HCO}_{3}\)) in each formula unit of calcium bicarbonate.
Step 3: Count the carbon atoms in each bicarbonate ion
Each bicarbonate ion (\(\mathrm{HCO}_{3}\)) contains 1 carbon atom.
Step 4: Calculate the total number of carbon atoms
Since there are 2 bicarbonate ions and each contains 1 carbon atom, the total number of carbon atoms is:
\[
2 \times 1 = 2
\]