Here's why:
* Aluminum (Al) is a metal: It forms ionic bonds with non-metals.
* Bisulfite (HSO3-) is an anion: It's the conjugate base of sulfurous acid (H2SO3).
When aluminum reacts with sulfurous acid, it forms aluminum sulfite (Al2(SO3)3) instead of a bisulfite compound.
The correct formula for aluminum sulfite is Al2(SO3)3.