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

• A. N2O3
• B. NO2
• C. N2O5
• D. NO5

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the naming convention for binary molecular compounds, which uses prefixes to indicate the number of atoms of each element in the compound.
2. Identify the prefix 'di-' means 2 and 'penta-' means 5, so 'dinitrogen pentoxide' indicates 2 nitrogen atoms and 5 oxygen atoms.
3. Write the chemical formula by placing the number of atoms as subscripts after each element symbol: N for nitrogen and O for oxygen.
4. Combine the symbols and subscripts to form the formula: N\_2O\_5.
5. Verify that the formula matches the name by checking the number of atoms corresponds to the prefixes given in the compound name.