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Changing a Subscript Makes a Totally Different Compound
- The subscripts in a chemical formula are part of the compound’s definition—if they change, the formula no longer specifies the same compound.
- CO is the chemical formula for carbon monoxide, an air pollutant with adverse health effects on humans.
- If you change the subscript of the O in CO from 1 to 2, you get the formula for a totally different compound.
- CO2 is the chemical formula for carbon dioxide, the relatively harmless product of combustion and human respiration. We breathe small amounts of it all the time with no harmful effects.