The formula of aluminum oxide is Al2O3. If aluminium forms its chloride, what will be the formula of that compound?
In Al2O3, the valency of aluminum is 3 and oxygen is 2.
The valency of chlorine is 1.
So, for a chloride of aluminium:
Symbol |
Al |
Cl |
Valency |
3 |
1 |
On interchanging the valencies of each element and writing them down as subscripts, we get the formula – AlCl3