How to Write the Formula for Nitrous oxide (Dinitrogen oxide)

In this video we'll write the correct formula for Nitrous oxide (Dinitrogen oxide) (N2O). To write the formula for Nitrous oxide (Dinitrogen oxide) we’ll use the Periodic Table and follow some simple rules.

When we have a non-metal and a non-metal we have a molecular compound (sometimes called covalent). Molecular compounds are some of the simplest to name.

Keys for Writing the Formulas for Molecular Compounds:

- Write the element symbol for both elements.
- Place a subscript after each element according to its prefix.

Note: Don’t write the subscript '1'.

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Prefixes
mono- 1
di- 2
tri- 3
tetra- 4
penta- 5
hexa- 6
hepta- 7
octa- 8
nona- 9
deca- 10
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Caution: We only write "mono" for the second element in a molecular compound. So CO would be carbon monoxide. Monocarbon monooxide is incorrect.

---Formula Writing Resources---

For a complete tutorial on naming and formula writing for compounds, like Nitrous oxide (Dinitrogen oxide) and more, visit:

[akorfagasu]

Why not N2O2 since the are both diatomic

[Donald_Chung]

Although nitrous oxide is the IUPAC name for N2O, it's not a systematic name. Dinitrogen monoxide is the systematic name. Using the "nitrous" heading would be confusing since nitrous acid has the oxidation state of 3+ for nitrogen, but only 1+ in nitrous oxide.