What is the abbreviation for Calcium chloride?

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Multiple Choice

What is the abbreviation for Calcium chloride?

Explanation:
Calcium chloride is written as CaCl2 because calcium forms a 2+ ion and each chloride is 1−; two chloride ions are needed to balance the charge, giving the neutral compound CaCl2. The notation CaCl2 reflects the actual ratio of atoms in the compound. CaCl would imply only one chloride ion and would not balance the charge, CaClO represents a different compound (calcium hypochlorite), and ClCa is not standard chemical notation.

Calcium chloride is written as CaCl2 because calcium forms a 2+ ion and each chloride is 1−; two chloride ions are needed to balance the charge, giving the neutral compound CaCl2. The notation CaCl2 reflects the actual ratio of atoms in the compound. CaCl would imply only one chloride ion and would not balance the charge, CaClO represents a different compound (calcium hypochlorite), and ClCa is not standard chemical notation.

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