Because There are two atoms of oxygen, so it's dioxide. Di is one of the Greek prefixes that's used in chemistry.
If there was one atom of oxygen, it would be Carbon Monoxide.
2 = Dioxide
3 = Trioxide
4 = Tetroxide
5 = Pentoxide
You get the point.
But Oxygen cannot exist alone as one. Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and all of the Halogens on the periodic table exist diatomically when not bonded with other elements.
So you're never going to have just one of Oxygen sitting around.
Then there are the acids, which always have one Hydrogen in the front, like this:
HF
That would by Hydrofluoric Acid. One odd thing that I'm not sure of is H2O. It starts with one Hydrogen, yet it isn't an acid ....
I'm going to have to ask my science teacher ....
~ß~
14-Nov-2008 22:15:20
- Last edited on
14-Nov-2008 22:17:51
by
Patriotic Br