What is the name of this compound: Fe2O3 ?
A) Iron (II) oxide
B) Iron oxide Carbon (VI)
C) Iron (III) oxide
D) Diiron trioxide
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is C) Iron (III) oxide.
Here’s an explanation:
The compound Fe₂O₃ consists of iron (Fe) and oxygen (O). To determine the name of the compound, we need to analyze the oxidation states of the elements involved.
- Oxidation States of Iron: Iron (Fe) can have multiple oxidation states, primarily +2 and +3. In this compound, the oxygen atoms are always in the -2 oxidation state (since oxygen typically forms oxide ions, O²⁻).
- Balancing Charges: The formula Fe₂O₃ tells us that there are two iron atoms and three oxygen atoms in the compound. If we assume that the oxidation state of iron is +3, the total positive charge from the iron atoms is 2 * (+3) = +6. To balance this, the three oxygen atoms each contribute a -2 charge, and the total negative charge from oxygen atoms is 3 * (-2) = -6. The charges balance out, confirming that each iron atom has an oxidation state of +3 in this compound.
- Naming the Compound: When naming binary ionic compounds like this one, the name is derived from the oxidation states of the elements. The oxidation state of iron in this case is +3, so the name of the compound is “Iron (III) oxide,” where the Roman numeral “(III)” indicates the +3 oxidation state of iron, and “oxide” refers to the oxygen component of the compound.
Now let’s quickly go over the other options:
- A) Iron (II) oxide: This would be correct if iron had an oxidation state of +2, but in Fe₂O₃, the oxidation state of iron is +3.
- B) Iron oxide Carbon (VI): This option is incorrect, as there is no carbon in the compound.
- D) Diiron trioxide: While this is a valid name in a systematic sense (using prefixes for the number of atoms), it is not the standard IUPAC name for this compound, which uses Roman numerals for the oxidation state.
Thus, C) Iron (III) oxide is the correct and most widely accepted name for Fe₂O₃.