Question

1. what is the correct name for a compound with the chemical formula pn?

a. phosphorus nitride
b. monophosphorus mononitride
c. phosphorus(iii) nitride
d. phosphorus mononitride

Explanation:

• For binary covalent compounds (compounds formed between two non - metals), the naming rule is to use prefixes to indicate the number of each atom.
• In the formula \(PN\), there is 1 phosphorus (\(P\)) atom and 1 nitrogen (\(N\)) atom.
• The prefix for 1 is "mono -". But when the first element in the formula has only 1 atom, the "mono -" prefix for the first element is often omitted.
• The second element always gets the "mono -" prefix (if there is 1 atom of the second element) and its ending is changed to "-ide". So for \(N\) (nitrogen), it becomes "nitride".

Answer:

A. Phosphorus nitride