Question

Give the formula for each of the following: a. silicon dioxide b. carbon tetrabromide c. diphosphorus tetraiodide d. dinitrogen oxide

Short answer

SiO2, CBr4, P2I4, N2O.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding the Chemical Name

Identify the elements and their quantities from the chemical name. For example, in 'silicon dioxide', 'silicon' is one element and 'dioxide' indicates two oxygen atoms.

Writing Chemical Symbols

Write down the chemical symbols for each element mentioned in the name. For example, 'silicon' is Si and 'oxygen' is O.

Determining the Number of Atoms

Use the prefixes to determine the number of each type of atom. 'Di-' means 2, 'tri-' means 3, 'tetra-' means 4, etc. For example, in 'dioxide', 'di-' indicates 2 oxygen atoms.

Combining the Symbols and Numbers

Combine the chemical symbols with the appropriate numbers as subscripts. For example, silicon dioxide becomes SiO2.

Apply the Steps to Each Compound

Repeat the above steps for each of the remaining compounds: carbon tetrabromide (CBr4), diphosphorus tetraiodide (P2I4), and dinitrogen oxide (N2O).

Key concepts

Naming Chemical Compounds

Naming chemical compounds correctly is crucial for understanding chemistry. The names of compounds convey important information about their composition. For instance, 'silicon dioxide' tells us that the compound contains silicon and oxygen.
Using prefixes like 'di-' and 'tri-', we can identify the exact number of atoms in the compound. This helps chemists communicate precise details. Let's break down some examples:

• 'Silicon dioxide' tells us there's one silicon (Si) and two oxygen (O) atoms.
• 'Carbon tetrabromide' means one carbon (C) atom and four bromine (Br) atoms.
• 'Diphosphorus tetraiodide' includes two phosphorus (P) atoms and four iodine (I) atoms.
• 'Dinitrogen oxide' means two nitrogen (N) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom.

With practice, decoding these names will become second nature.

Chemical Symbols

Chemical symbols are shorthand notations for elements. Each element is assigned a unique one or two-letter symbol. These symbols make it easier to write and understand chemical formulas.
For example:

• 'Si' stands for silicon.
• 'O' stands for oxygen.
• 'C' stands for carbon.
• 'Br' stands for bromine.
• 'P' stands for phosphorus.
• 'I' stands for iodine.
• 'N' stands for nitrogen.

By using these symbols, chemists can quickly understand and communicate the components of a compound.

Molecular Prefixes

Molecular prefixes indicate the number of atoms of each element in a compound. This helps us understand the compound's structure at a glance. Let's review the common prefixes:

• 'Mono-' means 1 (often omitted for the first element).
• 'Di-' means 2.
• 'Tri-' means 3.
• 'Tetra-' means 4.
• 'Penta-' means 5.
• 'Hexa-' means 6.
• 'Hepta-' means 7.
• 'Octa-' means 8.
• 'Nona-' means 9.
• 'Deca-' means 10.

For example, in 'carbon tetrabromide', 'tetra-' indicates that there are four bromine atoms.

Compound Formula Conversion

Converting compound names to chemical formulas involves a few straightforward steps. First, identify the elements and their quantities from the name. Second, write the chemical symbols for each element. Lastly, apply molecular prefixes to determine the number of each type of atom, and combine the symbols with the appropriate numbers as subscripts.
Let's apply these steps to the provided exercise:

• 'Silicon dioxide': 'Silicon' becomes 'Si', and 'dioxide' means two oxygen atoms (O2), resulting in 'SiO2'.
• 'Carbon tetrabromide': 'Carbon' becomes 'C', and 'tetrabromide' means four bromine atoms (Br4), resulting in 'CBr4'.
• 'Diphosphorus tetraiodide': 'Diphosphorus' means two phosphorus atoms (P2), and 'tetraiodide' means four iodine atoms (I4), resulting in 'P2I4'.
• 'Dinitrogen oxide': 'Dinitrogen' means two nitrogen atoms (N2), and 'oxide' means one oxygen atom (O), resulting in 'N2O'.

Practicing these steps will help you become skilled at converting chemical names into formulas.