How to Write Chemical Formulas in Microsoft Word

Typing chemistry reports that include chemical formulas can be tedious work in some applications because there are subscripts involved and not all applications support a subscript font. But Microsoft Word does offer a subscript font option, which makes it easier to include chemical formulas. Formatting the chemical formula makes it easier to read and presents it correctly.

Instructions

1. Open a blank document in Microsoft Word. Type each element of the formula. For example, the elements for aluminum iodide are Al for aluminum and I for iodine, so it would be written as AlI.

2. Type the required subscripts next to each element. In our example, aluminum has a subscript of 2 and iodine has a subscript of 6: Al2I6.

3. Highlight all subscripts simultaneously by holding down the "Ctrl" button. Right click with your mouse and select "Font" from the menu. Check the "Subscript" box in the "Effects" section of the "Font" tab. Repeat this step for all subscripts.