Question

Write the formula of each of the following: a. sulfur dioxide b. silicon tetrachloride c. iodine trifluoride d. dinitrogen oxide

Short answer

SO₂, SiCl₄, IF₃, N₂O

Step-by-step solution

Identify the elements involved

For each compound, identify the elements. For example, for sulfur dioxide, the elements are sulfur (S) and oxygen (O).

Determine the prefixes and corresponding quantities

Examine the prefix in the name to understand the quantity of each element. For example, 'di-' means 2, 'tetra-' means 4, and so on.

Formulate the chemical formulas

Combine the symbols of the elements with the quantities from the prefixes:- For sulfur dioxide: 'di-' indicates 2 oxygens → SO₂- For silicon tetrachloride: 'tetra-' indicates 4 chlorines → SiCl₄- For iodine trifluoride: 'tri-' indicates 3 fluorines → IF₃- For dinitrogen oxide: 'di-' indicates 2 nitrogens → N₂O

Key concepts

Element Identification

To write a chemical formula correctly, the first step involves identifying the elements present in the compound.
For example, when you see the name 'sulfur dioxide', the elements involved are sulfur (S) and oxygen (O).
Each element is represented by a unique symbol. Learning these symbols is crucial for accurate chemical formula writing.
The periodic table is your best friend here. Each element has a symbol, usually the first one or two letters of its English or Latin name.
For instance:
- Sulfur is represented as S.
- Oxygen is represented as O.
- Silicon is represented as Si.
- Chlorine is represented as Cl.
- Iodine is represented as I.
- Fluorine is represented as F.
- Nitrogen is represented as N.
By identifying the symbols of the elements listed in the compound name, you lay the foundation for writing the correct chemical formula.

Chemical Prefixes

Once the elements are identified, the next step is to decode the prefixes in the compound name.
These prefixes tell you how many atoms of each element are present.
Understanding these prefixes is essential for writing accurate chemical formulas.
Here are some common prefixes and their meanings:

• mono- means 1
• di- means 2
• tri- means 3
• tetra- means 4
• penta- means 5
• hexa- means 6

For example:
- In 'sulfur dioxide', 'di-' means there are 2 oxygen atoms.
- In 'silicon tetrachloride', 'tetra-' means there are 4 chlorine atoms.
- In 'iodine trifluoride', 'tri-' means there are 3 fluorine atoms.
- In 'dinitrogen oxide', 'di-' means there are 2 nitrogen atoms. By understanding these prefixes, you can determine the number of atoms of each element needed to write the correct formula.

Formula Formulation

With the elements identified and the quantities determined from the prefixes, the final step is to formulate the chemical formula.
This involves combining the element symbols with their respective quantities.
Let's use the same examples to illustrate:
- For sulfur dioxide: The prefix 'di-' indicates 2 oxygens. The formula is SO₂.
- For silicon tetrachloride: The prefix 'tetra-' indicates 4 chlorines. The formula is SiCl₄.
- For iodine trifluoride: The prefix 'tri-' indicates 3 fluorines. The formula is IF₃.
- For dinitrogen oxide: The prefix 'di-' indicates 2 nitrogens. The formula is N₂O.
Combining the symbols correctly requires attention to detail. Remember to:

• Write the symbol of the first element in the compound.
• Follow it with the symbol of the second element.
• Add the appropriate subscript numbers (from the prefixes) after each element symbol to denote the quantity.

And that’s it! By following these steps, you can write chemical formulas accurately and confidently.