Question

name the compound $\ce{n_2o_4}$.

• nitrous oxide
• dinitrogen pentoxide
• nitrogen oxide
• dinitrogen tetroxide
• nitrogen tetroxide

Explanation:

To name the covalent compound \( \text{N}_2\text{O}_4 \), we use prefixes to indicate the number of each atom. The prefix for 2 is "di-" (for nitrogen, \( \text{N} \)) and the prefix for 4 is "tetra-" (for oxygen, \( \text{O} \)). The name of the compound is formed by naming the first element with its prefix, then the second element with its prefix and the suffix "-ide". So for \( \text{N}_2\text{O}_4 \), we have "dinitrogen" (2 nitrogen atoms) and "tetroxide" (4 oxygen atoms), resulting in dinitrogen tetroxide.

• Nitrous oxide is \( \text{N}_2\text{O} \), so this is incorrect.
• Dinitrogen pentoxide is \( \text{N}_2\text{O}_5 \), so this is incorrect.
• "Nitrogen oxide" and "nitrogen tetroxide" do not use the correct prefix for the number of nitrogen atoms (2), so they are incorrect.

Answer:

D. dinitrogen tetroxide