145k views
2 votes
Explain why the name shown below is incorrect for the compound MgCl,?

Name: Magnesium Dichloride

User Arkoak
by
8.0k points

1 Answer

6 votes

The name "Magnesium Dichloride" is incorrect for the compound MgCl2 because the compound is not composed of magnesium and chlorine only in a 1:1 ratio. The compound is actually composed of one Magnesium atom (Mg) and two Chlorine atoms (Cl2).

The correct name for the compound MgCl2 is Magnesium Chloride, which describes the chemical formula accurately. The prefix "di-" refers to two atoms and is used when there are two atoms of the same element in a compound, In this case, there are two chlorine atoms in MgCl2.

User The Red Fox
by
8.0k points