What is the systematic name of Mg(NO3)2?

1 Answer
Meave60
Jan 12, 2016

The name of this ionic compound is magnesium nitrate.

Explanation:

Magnesium is a group 2 alkaline earth metal, which forms a 2+ cation, Mg2+. Nitrate is a polyatomic anion which has a charge of 1−. Its formula is NO3−.

Ionic compounds are named for the cation and anion present in the compound. Since Mg(NO3)2 contains the cation magnesium and anion nitrate, its name is magnesium nitrate.

When naming an ionic compound with a polyatomic ionic, we don't use Greek prefixes to indicate the number of polyatomic ions. This is why the name of Mg(NO3)2 is magnesium nitrate, and NOT magnesium dinitrate.

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