Strontium phosphate, Sr₃(PO₄)₂, a crystalline substance used in medicine and industry, has 2 phosphorus atoms in the formula (Option a).
Strontium phosphate is a salt with the formula Sr₃(PO₄)₂. The subscripts inform us of the atomicity of each element, that is, the number of atoms of that element in the compound.
For instance, Sr has the subscript 3, which means that there are 3 atoms of Sr in 1 molecule of Sr₃(PO₄)₂.
Regarding (PO₄)₂, we need to consider that the subscript 2 affects both P and O, and we have to multiply their subscripts to obtain their atomicities.
[tex]P: 1 \times 2 = 2\\O: 4 \times 2 = 8[/tex]
Strontium phosphate, Sr₃(PO₄)₂, a crystalline substance used in medicine and industry, has 2 phosphorus atoms in the formula (Option a).
You can learn more about atomicity here: https://brainly.com/question/21850455
