Problem 16 - Chemistry An Atoms First Approach

Question

The common name for \(\mathrm{NH}_{3}\) is ammonia. What would be the systematic name for \(\mathrm{NH}_{3}\) ? Support your answer.

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

The systematic name for NH3 is Hydrogen Nitride, following the IUPAC nomenclature guidelines for naming binary compounds.

Step 1: Identify the elements

In NH3, we have two elements, Nitrogen (N) and Hydrogen (H).

Step 2: Determine the valency

Nitrogen has a valency of 3, and Hydrogen has a valency of 1. In NH3, there is one Nitrogen atom and three Hydrogen atoms.

Step 3: IUPAC nomenclature guidelines

According to the IUPAC nomenclature guidelines for naming binary compounds, we name the compound as follows: 1. The first part of the name uses the full name of the less electronegative element (which is Hydrogen in this case). 2. The second part of the name combines the name of the more electronegative element (Nitrogen) with the suffix "-ide".

Step 4: Combine the parts and determine the systematic name

Following the IUPAC nomenclature guidelines, we have: 1. First part: Hydrogen 2. Second part: Nitrogen + "-ide" = Nitride So, combining the parts, we obtain the systematic name for NH3 as Hydrogen Nitride.