Question

Name each of the following binary compounds. a. \(\mathrm{XeF}_{6}\) b. \(\mathrm{OF}_{2}\) c. \(A S I_{3}\) d. \(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{4}\) e. \(\mathrm{Cl}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) f. \(\mathrm{SF}_{6}\)

Short answer

a. Xenon hexafluoride b. Oxygen difluoride c. Arsenic triiodide d. Dinitrogen tetroxide e. Dichlorine monoxide f. Sulfur hexafluoride

Step-by-step solution

a. XeF_6

The compound \(\mathrm{XeF}_{6}\) contains Xenon (Xe) and Fluorine (F). There is one Xenon atom and six Fluorine atoms. Therefore, the name of the compound is Xenon hexafluoride.

b. OF_2

The compound \(\mathrm{OF}_{2}\) contains Oxygen (O) and Fluorine (F). There is one Oxygen atom and two Fluorine atoms. Therefore, the name of the compound is Oxygen difluoride.

c. AsI_3

The compound \(A S I_{3}\) contains Arsenic (As) and Iodine (I). There is one Arsenic atom and three Iodine atoms. Therefore, the name of the compound is Arsenic triiodide.

d. N_2O_4

The compound \(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{4}\) contains Nitrogen (N) and Oxygen (O). There are two Nitrogen atoms and four Oxygen atoms. Therefore, the name of the compound is Dinitrogen tetroxide.

e. Cl_2O

The compound \(\mathrm{Cl}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) contains Chlorine (Cl) and Oxygen (O). There are two Chlorine atoms and one Oxygen atom. Therefore, the name of the compound is Dichlorine monoxide.

f. SF_6

The compound \(\mathrm{SF}_{6}\) contains Sulfur (S) and Fluorine (F). There is one Sulfur atom and six Fluorine atoms. Therefore, the name of the compound is Sulfur hexafluoride.

Key concepts

Binary Compounds

Binary compounds are inorganic substances composed of two different elements. For example, table salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) is a binary compound made up of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl). Understanding binary compounds is crucial because they are the foundation of chemical nomenclature, which we use to systematically name substances.

For naming binary compounds, one typically follows a set pattern: the name of the cation (the positively charged ion) goes first, followed by the name of the anion (the negatively charged ion) with an '-ide' suffix. If there are multiple atoms of the anion, prefixes like 'mono-', 'di-', 'tri-', 'tetra-', 'penta-', etc., are used to denote the number of atoms. For instance, 'SF₆' is known as sulfur hexafluoride, where 'hexa-' signifies six atoms of fluorine.

Chemical Nomenclature

Chemical nomenclature is the system for naming chemical substances based on their composition and structure. This system enables chemists from around the world to communicate unambiguously. There are different rules that govern the nomenclature for various types of compounds, like ionic, molecular (covalent), acids, and organometallic compounds.

For binary molecular compounds (like those in the exercise), we use prefixes to indicate the number of atoms present for non-metal elements. For example, 'N₂O₄' is dinitrogen tetroxide, where 'di-' represents two nitrogen atoms and 'tetra-' indicates four oxygen atoms. It's also important to note that if there's only one atom of the first element, we typically omit the 'mono-' prefix for simplicity.

Inorganic Chemistry

Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry that deals with inorganic compounds, which are substances not containing a carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond, unlike organic compounds. This broad field includes studying minerals, metals, and synthetic compounds like those named in our exercise. Inorganic chemistry plays a pivotal role in different industries and research fields, including materials science, catalysis, and medicine.

For students to thrive in inorganic chemistry, it is essential to be comfortable with its language, i.e., chemical nomenclature. Mastery of naming allows for the clear communication of ideas and findings, which is why exercises such as naming binary compounds provide valuable practice in the fundamental vocabulary of inorganic chemistry.