What is the difference between coefficients and subscripts in chemical equations?

Question

For example:
what is the difference between 2O and O2?
And how would you write something like in a word equation?

Answer 1

Coefficients - number of separate bits. Subscripts - number of atoms of an element in each bit.

Example; 3 H(subscript2)O means three molecules, each of them containing two H and one O

O2 is one oxygen molecule containing two atoms. 2O is two separate oxygen atoms.

Answer 2

-2O means 2 moles of O. The 2 in this case is a coefficient.

-O2 means oxygen in its standard state. The 2 in this case is a subscript.

now to describe a reaction using words,
take this equation for example

3 NaBh4 + 4 BF3 -----> 2B2H6 + 3NaBF4

3 moles of NaBh4 plus 4 moles of BF3 make 2 moles of 2B2H6 and 3 moles of 3NaBF4

Answer 3

coefecients are used to balance out an equation
subscripts tell how many there are in it

Answer 4

Elements have "symbols" and compounds have " formulas".
The symbol of an element represents its one atom or its one mole.
The formula of a compound represents its one molecule (if it is a covalent compound) , its one formula unit (if it is an ionic compound) or its one mole (whether it is covalent or ionic).

Coefficients are generally used for balancing the chemical equations in accordance with the law of conservation of mass. For example;
N2 (g) + 3 H2 (g) -------> 2 NH3 (g)

This equation shows that, when 1 molecule (or 1 mole) of N2 gas reacts with 3 molecules (or 3 moles) of H2 gas, 2 molecules (or 2 moles) of NH3 are formed.

The subscripts describe the number of atoms (or the mole of atoms) present in one molecule (if it is a covalent compound) , in one formula unit (if it is an ionic compound) or in one mole (whether it is covalent or ionic) of a compound.

From the above equation we also understand that one N2 molecule contains 2 nitrogen atoms or one mole N2 contains 2 mole N atoms. Similarly; one H2 molecule contains 2 hydrogen atoms or one mole H2 contains 2 mole H atoms. Finally, one NH3 molecule contains 1 nitrogen atom and 2 hydrogen atoms or one mole NH3 contains 1 mole N atom and 3 mole H atom.