Question

Name the following compound: C5Si7

Answer 1

Answer:

Pentacarbon heptasilicide.

Explanation:

In order to name the following compound, we need to identify whether it is molecular or ionic.

Molecular compounds consist of non-metal atoms, while ionic compounds would have metal cations in their composition.

In the given compound, $C_5Si_7$, we have two non-metals, carbon and silicon, meaning we should follow the molecular compound naming rules. The rules involve using prefixes to state the number of individual atoms.

The two prefixes required here are 'penta' for 'five' to indicate 5 carbon atoms present and 'hepta' for 'seven' to indicate 7 silicon atoms present.

The first part of the name would be pentacarbon (notice that the standard name for the first element is used). The second part would be heptasilicide (notice that the second atom would have an ending of -ide followed by the standard beginning of silicon).