Question

Which is the correct name of a compound that is formed by Si and O?

Answer 1

Silicon dioxide (SiO₂)

Step-by-step explanation:

The most common compound made by silicon and oxygen is silicon dioxide. In this compound one silicon and two oxygen atoms are combined.

It is present in network structure. The silicon atom is connected with four oxygen atom which are then connected with another silicon atom and thus form network.

Silicon dioxide is also called silica and it is almost 60% abundant in nature.

The major part of sand is consist of silicon dioxide.

Its molecular weight is 60.084 g/mol.

When only one silicon and one oxygen atom are combine they form silicon monoxide.

Answer 2

Silicon dioxide

Step-by-step explanation:

Both silicon and oxygen are nonmetals, meaning we are dealing with a molecular compound.

In order to name this compound, we firstly have to derive its chemical formula. Silicon is in group 4A, so it has 4 valence electrons and an oxidation state of +4. Similarly, oxygen is in group 6A and has a total of 6 valence electrons, an oxidation state of -2.

As a result, it takes two oxygen atoms to balance the oxidation state of silicon and have a neutral compound which yields a chemical formula of
`SiO_2`.

Naming a molecular compound would require us to use prefixes. We have one silicon atom (mono) and two oxygen atoms (di). We would never use 'mono' for the first element, so we simply end up with silicon dioxide.