Question

When naming a binary compound, what determines the prefix for an element in a compound?

• A. The number of atoms of that element in the compound
• B. The number of valence electrons in the element
• C. The total number of atoms in the compound
• D. The number of shared electrons in the compound
• E. The number of different elements in the compound

Answer 1

The correct option is A The number of atoms of that element in the compound

When naming a binary compound, the number of atoms of that element in the compound determines the prefix for an element in a compound.
For example, while naming $N_2{O}_3$, the prefix di is used for $N$ which indicates $2N$ atoms and the prefix tri is used for $O$ which indicates $3O$ atoms. Hence, the name dintirogen trioxide.