Answer:
The subscripts represent the relative mass of each type of atom in the compound.
Explanation:
In a chemical compound, the subscripts simply identify the relative number of atoms of each element present. For instance, the formula of aluminum chloride AlCl3 tells us that the relative ratio of aluminum atoms to chlorine atoms is 1:3. One aluminium atom is surrounded by three three chlorine atoms in the crystal lattice of the compound. It tells nothing about the relative masses of each element present in the compound. The subscripts change for the same element in different compounds. For instance, in aluminum oxide, Al2O3, the subscript of aluminum is now two and not one as in aluminum chloride.
