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Which formulas represent ionic compounds and which represent covalent compounds?

Covalent compound:

CsF

Na o

CHN

PCI,

Cao

CHO

NH

WO

lonic compound:

Cs

CdBr,

N

SOS

User Gmauch
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5.1k points

2 Answers

1 vote

Final answer:

Ionic compounds are formed from metals and nonmetals and consist of a crystal lattice, examples being NaCl. Covalent compounds, on the other hand, involve the sharing of electrons between nonmetals and exist as discrete molecules, such as H₂O. The given lists include both ionic and covalent compounds, although some formulas may be incorrect or incomplete.

Step-by-step explanation:

Identifying whether a compound is ionic or covalent depends on the types of elements involved. Ionic compounds are generally formed between metals and nonmetals, where electrons are transferred from the metal to the nonmetal. The resulting compounds exist in a crystal lattice structure rather than as discrete molecules. An example of an ionic formula is NaCl, which indicates that there are equal numbers of sodium and chloride ions. In contrast, covalent compounds involve the sharing of electrons between nonmetals and exist as discrete molecules. Examples of covalent formulas include CO, representing carbon monoxide, and H₂O, representing water.

For the list provided:

Covalent compounds: CHN (assumed to be C₃H₃N₃), PCl₅, CHO (assumed to be C₆H₅OH), NH (assumed to be NH₃), WO (assumed to be WO₃).

Ionic compounds: CsF, NaO (assuming Na₂O), CaO, SOS (assuming it to be a typo for possibly SO₃ or SO₄²⁻).

However, some formulas appear incorrect or incomplete (such as NaO, which should likely be Na₂O for sodium oxide). It is also important to ensure formulas correspond to real compounds. For instance, CHN and WO are not conventional notations and likely represent hypothetical or incomplete compounds.

User Pnj
by
4.4k points
6 votes

Answer:

See answer below

Step-by-step explanation:

This is pretty easy to solve. First you need to understand that an ionic compound is usually formed between a metal and a non metal. This usually happens between elements from group 1 through group 10 or 11 of the periodic table. A covalent compound is always given in non metal elements from the periodic table, and it's usually the elements from group 13 through group 17.

Some compounds there are missing some atoms, but I manage to find this question and saw the atoms missing, so, in my answer you will see the corrected compound. so don't be surprised.

According to what I state above, then the covalent compounds are:

C₆H₅N

PCl₃

C₂H₄O

NH₃

N₂

SO₄²⁻

The ionic compounds are:

CaO

CdBr₂

WO₂

Na₂O

CsF

Hope this helps

User Adi Rohan
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4.4k points