The name of N2O5 is: Select one: a. Dinitrogen pentoxide b. Nitrogen tetroxide c. Nitrogen pentoxide d. Nitrogen oxide e. Nitrogen(V) oxide
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is: a. Dinitrogen pentoxide
Explanation:
The compound N2O5 is commonly known as dinitrogen pentoxide. Let’s break down the name based on the compound’s structure and the rules of naming molecular compounds:
- Chemical Formula: N2O5 indicates that there are two nitrogen (N) atoms and five oxygen (O) atoms in the molecule.
- Naming Convention for Molecular Compounds:
- In molecular (covalent) compounds, the prefix system is used to indicate the number of atoms of each element in the compound.
- The prefix for two nitrogen atoms is di, and for five oxygen atoms, it is penta.
- Naming Nitrogen Compounds:
- The element nitrogen is the first in the molecular formula, so it is named first, followed by oxygen.
- The name “pentoxide” refers to the presence of five oxygen atoms.
- Correct Name: According to these rules, N2O5 is named dinitrogen pentoxide.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
- b. Nitrogen tetroxide: This name corresponds to the compound N2O4, not N2O5. “Tetra” refers to four oxygen atoms.
- c. Nitrogen pentoxide: While this might seem close, it lacks the proper prefix for the nitrogen part (dinitrogen for two nitrogen atoms).
- d. Nitrogen oxide: This is a general term that could refer to various nitrogen-oxygen compounds, but it does not specify the exact ratio of nitrogen to oxygen.
- e. Nitrogen(V) oxide: This is incorrect because the oxidation state of nitrogen in N2O5 is already clearly indicated by the name “dinitrogen pentoxide.”
Thus, the correct name is dinitrogen pentoxide.
