4al + 3o2 → 2al2o3 what does the "3" in front of o2 stand for? a) it indicates that there are 5 oxygen atoms after you add the coefficient and the subscript. b) it indicates that that there are are total of 6 oxygen atoms all bonded together as a single molecule. c) it indicates that there are 3 oxygen molecules chemically bonded to each other in the reaction. d) it indicates that there are 3 separate oxygen molecules in the reaction.

the right choice is D) It indicates that there are 3 separate oxygen molecules in the reaction.

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- It indicates that there are 3 separate oxygen molecules in the reaction.

Explanations:- is oxygen molecule in which two O atoms are bonded together with a double bond(O=O). The numbers written in front of the chemical formulas in an equation are the coefficients and they are used to balance the equations.

The balanced equation has 3 molecules of and all these molecules are separate from each other as the bonds are between two oxygen atoms of a molecule but not between the oxygens of two molecules.

Of course there are 6 oxygen atoms in total but they all are not bonded together as a single molecule.

So, the right choice is D) It indicates that there are 3 separate oxygen molecules in the reaction.