Question

select the correct answer
what is the chemical name of the covalent compound sf₆?
a. monosulfur hexafluoride
b. monosulfide hexafluorine
c. sulfur hexafluoride
d. hexasulfur fluoride

Explanation:

To name a covalent compound, we use prefixes to indicate the number of atoms of each element. For the first element, if there is only one atom, the prefix "mono - " is often omitted (though it can be used, but is less common for the first element in many cases). For the second element, we use the appropriate prefix and change the ending to " - ide". In $\ce{SF_6}$, the first element is sulfur (S) with one atom (so we can just say sulfur, omitting "mono - " as it's the first element and having one atom is common without the prefix for the first element in covalent naming), and the second element is fluorine (F) with six atoms, so we use the prefix "hexa - " and change fluorine to fluoride.

• Option A: Using "monosulfur" is incorrect because for the first element in a covalent compound with one atom, the "mono - " prefix is typically omitted.
• Option B: "Monosulfide" is incorrect as we are naming the compound, not using the ion name, and "fluoruine" is a misspelling (should be fluorine), also the naming for the second element is wrong.
• Option D: "Hexasulfur" is incorrect as there is only one sulfur atom, not six.

Answer:

C. sulfur hexafluoride