Let's analyze the chemical formula for iron(III) sulfate, [tex]\( Fe_2(SO_4)_3 \)[/tex], to determine the number of each type of atom contained within one formula unit of the compound.
1. Iron (Fe) atoms:
- The subscript immediately following the Fe element indicates that there are 2 iron atoms in each formula unit.
- Therefore, the number of iron atoms is [tex]\( 2 \)[/tex].
2. Sulfate (SO_4) groups:
- The formula includes the sulfate group [tex]\((SO_4)\)[/tex], and the subscript outside the parentheses is 3. This indicates that there are 3 sulfate groups in each formula unit of iron(III) sulfate.
3. Sulfur (S) atoms:
- Each sulfate group contains 1 sulfur atom [tex]\((S)\)[/tex].
- Since there are 3 sulfate groups, the total number of sulfur atoms is [tex]\( 3 \times 1 = 3 \)[/tex].
4. Oxygen (O) atoms:
- Each sulfate group contains 4 oxygen atoms [tex]\((O)\)[/tex].
- Since there are 3 sulfate groups, the total number of oxygen atoms is [tex]\( 3 \times 4 = 12 \)[/tex].
Putting this all together, we fill in the table as follows:
[tex]\[
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|}
\hline
\text{atom} & \text{number in formula} \\
\hline
\text{iron} & 2 \\
\hline
\text{ sulfur} & 3 \\
\hline
\text{oxygen} & 12 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\][/tex]
