The formula of a compound of a metal with oxygen is written as MO and that of another metal is written as `M_(2)O` .Give reason. What are the formulae of the compounds of the above metals with chlorine ?

Explanation

In case of a metal having combining capacity 2, the formula of its compound with oxygen is written as MO since the combining capacity of oxygen is also 2. In case of a metal having combining capacity 1, the formula of the compound is written as `M_(2)O`. Since the combining capacity of chlorine is 1, the formulae of the compounds of chlorine with the above metal are `MCl_(2)` and MCl, respectively.