Which of the following is the correct chemical formula for dinitrogen pentoxide?

• A. NO2
• B. N2O5
• C. NO5
• D. N2O3

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the naming convention for molecular compounds, where prefixes indicate the number of atoms of each element present in the compound.
2. Identify the prefix 'di-' which means 2, and 'pent-' which means 5, corresponding to the number of nitrogen and oxygen atoms respectively.
3. Combine the element symbols with their respective prefixes: 'dinitrogen' means 2 nitrogen atoms (N2), and 'pentoxide' means 5 oxygen atoms (O5).
4. Write the chemical formula by placing the number of atoms as subscripts after each element symbol: N2O5.
5. Verify that the formula matches the name by checking that the number of atoms corresponds correctly to the prefixes given in the compound's name.