Which of the following is the correct IUPAC name for SO₂?

• A. Disulfur oxide
• B. Sulfur oxide
• C. Sulfur monoxide
• D. Sulfur dioxide

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the chemical formula given: SO₂, which consists of one sulfur (S) atom and two oxygen (O) atoms.
2. Recall the IUPAC naming convention for binary molecular compounds, which uses prefixes to indicate the number of atoms: 'mono-' for one, 'di-' for two, 'tri-' for three, and so on.
3. Since there is one sulfur atom, the prefix 'mono-' is usually omitted for the first element, so we simply use 'sulfur'.
4. For the oxygen atoms, since there are two, use the prefix 'di-' combined with 'oxide' (the name for oxygen in binary compounds), forming 'dioxide'.
5. Combine the parts to form the correct IUPAC name: 'sulfur dioxide'.