Question

phosphorus trichloride is used in the production of chemicals that keep plants from growing in a specific area. this compound is made of one phosphorus atom represented by the chemical symbol p and three chlorine atoms represented by the chemical symbol cl. what is the chemical formula of this compound? o pcl o pcl₃ o p3cl o 1p3cl

Explanation:

In chemical formulas, the symbol of the first - named element (phosphorus, \(P\)) is written first. The prefix "tri - " in "trichloride" indicates there are three chlorine atoms. In chemical notation, the number of atoms of an element is written as a subscript after the element's symbol. So for three chlorine (\(Cl\)) atoms, we write \(Cl_3\). Combining the phosphorus symbol \(P\) and \(Cl_3\), we get the formula \(PCl_3\). The formula \(PCI\) has no subscript for chlorine (incorrect as there are three chlorine atoms). The formula \(P3Cl\) has the wrong placement of the number (subscripts are for the number of atoms of the preceding element). The formula \(1P3Cl\) is also incorrect as we don't write a subscript of 1 for one atom of an element (by convention, if no subscript is written for an element, it is assumed to be one atom), and the number placement is wrong.

Answer:

\(PCl_3\) (the second option)