Covalent compounds are substances formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms. Unlike ionic compounds, which involve the transfer of electrons, covalent compounds consist of molecules held together by strong covalent bonds.

Naming Covalent Compounds

When naming covalent compounds, the element with the lower electronegativity is typically listed first, followed by the element with higher electronegativity. The second element's name is modified to end in "-ide." Additionally, prefixes are used to indicate the number of atoms present in the molecule. Common prefixes include "mono-" (only used for the second element if it has one atom), "di-", "tri-", "tetra-", "penta-", and so on.

Write Formula of Covalent Compounds

To write the formula of a covalent compound, it is necessary to determine the number of atoms of each element in the molecule. The prefixes used in the compound name provide this information. The subscript numbers indicate the number of atoms of each element present in the molecule.

It is important to note that when writing the formula, the prefixes are not included for the first element if there is only one atom of that element. However, if there is more than one atom of the first element, the prefix "mono-" is used. The prefixes are always included for the second element..