Multiple Choice
Which of the following pairs of elements would you expect to form a molecular compound?
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3. Chemical Reactions
Naming Molecular Compounds
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Which of the following is the correct name for the molecular compound NO_2?
A
Nitrous oxide
B
Nitrogen oxide
C
Dinitrogen oxide
D
Nitrogen dioxide
Verified step by step guidance1
Identify the chemical formula given: NO_2, which consists of nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) atoms.
Recall the naming rules for molecular (covalent) compounds: use prefixes to indicate the number of atoms of each element (mono-, di-, tri-, etc.), and the second element's name ends with '-ide'.
Determine the number of atoms of each element: 1 nitrogen atom and 2 oxygen atoms, so the prefix 'di-' applies to oxygen.
Name the compound by combining the element names with appropriate prefixes: 'Nitrogen' for N and 'dioxide' for O_2 (di- + oxide).
Confirm that the correct name for NO_2 is 'Nitrogen dioxide', matching the given options.
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