Jan 17, 2022
1603
The reason you do not know how the “2” got into the chemical formula for the salt is that you have forgotten what you learned in Module 5 (pp. 175-180). When H2SO4 gives up its two H 1+ ions, the only thing left is SO4 2-, the polyatomic sulfate ion. The K is in group 1, so in ionic compounds, it takes on the charge 1+.
To determine the chemical formula of the ionic compound between SO4 2- and K 1+, you switch the charges and drop the signs. Thus, you get K2SO4.
You might want to review those Module 5 pages, because you must remember those concepts to understand Module 9.