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

• A. NO2
• B. N2O3
• C. N2O5
• D. NO3

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the naming convention for molecular compounds, where prefixes indicate the number of atoms of each element present in the compound. For example, 'di-' means 2, 'tri-' means 3, etc.
2. Step 2: Identify the elements involved in the compound name 'dinitrogen trioxide'. 'Dinitrogen' means there are 2 nitrogen (N) atoms, and 'trioxide' means there are 3 oxygen (O) atoms.
3. Step 3: Combine the number of atoms from the prefixes with the chemical symbols of the elements to write the formula. For 2 nitrogen atoms and 3 oxygen atoms, the formula is \(N_2O_3\).
4. Step 4: Verify that the formula matches the given options. The correct formula should have 2 nitrogen atoms and 3 oxygen atoms, which corresponds to \(N_2O_3\).
5. Step 5: Conclude that the correct chemical formula for dinitrogen trioxide is \(N_2O_3\) based on the prefix meanings and the chemical symbols.