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Why is the formula for lithium nitride Li3N and not Li2N2?
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[QUOTE="SteamKing, post: 4489331, member: 301881"] Well, CO is carbon MONoxide and CO2 is carbon DIoxide. H2O could be called DIhydrogen MONoxide, but 'water' is just fine. C has a valence of 4. Oxygen has a valence of 2. Ordinarily, burning carbon would produce CO2. When carbon is burned where there is insufficient oxygen, CO is formed instead of CO2. Carbon is capable of forming compounds with single, double, or triple bonds. Carbon monoxide has a triple bond, so its structure is: C [itex]\equiv[/itex] O Lithium has a valence of 1, while nitrogen can have multiple valences (3 is a common valence for nitrogen). It takes 3 Li atoms and 1 nitrogen atom to make lithium nitride, Li3N. Li2N2 doesn't form because the valences are out of whack [+2 for the 2 lithium atoms, -6 for the 2 nitrogen atoms]. The valence of different atoms usually controls how many of each form a given compound. Perhaps this is the chemical principle you are overlooking. [/QUOTE]
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Biology and Chemistry Homework Help
Why is the formula for lithium nitride Li3N and not Li2N2?
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