Understanding Polyatomic Ions in Chemistry

Changing the tiny numbers inside a polyatomic ion is the fastest way to fail chemistry.

These ions are like a squad that refuses to split up, so you cannot touch their internal formula.

If you need more than one nitrate or phosphate to balance the charge, never change the

subscript. Instead, you have to slap parentheses around the whole group

and put the quantity outside. It is still ionic bonding, so positives go

first and charges must equal zero. Treat the whole polyatomic chunk like one single

block, otherwise you are literally inventing chemicals that do not exist.