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Multiple Choice
What is the correct name for the ionic compound Ba3P2?
A
barium diphosphide
B
barium phosphate
C
barium phosphide
D
tribarium diphosphate
Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the cation and anion in the formula Ba3P2. Ba is barium, a metal that forms a cation with a +2 charge (Ba^{2+}), and P is phosphorus, which forms an anion with a -3 charge (P^{3-}).
Determine the charges and the ratio of ions to balance the overall charge. Since Ba^{2+} and P^{3-} combine, the formula Ba3P2 means 3 barium ions and 2 phosphide ions, balancing the charges: 3(+2) = +6 and 2(-3) = -6.
Name the cation first using the element name: 'barium'. Since barium is a group 2 metal with a fixed charge, no Roman numeral is needed.
Name the anion by taking the root of the nonmetal element and adding the suffix '-ide'. For phosphorus, the anion name is 'phosphide'.
Combine the names of the cation and anion to get the correct name: 'barium phosphide'. Prefixes like 'di-' or 'tri-' are not used in naming ionic compounds.