Why is As2S3 Named Arsenic Trisulfide?

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SUMMARY

The compound As2S3 is named Arsenic trisulfide due to the presence of three sulfur atoms bonded to two arsenic atoms. This nomenclature is used despite arsenic being classified as a metalloid, which typically does not follow the non-metal naming conventions. The use of the prefix "tri-" in trisulfide distinguishes it from other arsenic sulfide compounds, such as AsS (Arsenic monosulfide) and As2S5 (Arsenic pentasulfide).

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Homework Statement



I thought that because Arsenic is not a non-metal, you don't use the number prefixes when naming compounds that are not non-metals. So my guess for As2S3 was Arsenic sulfide. But the actual answer is Arsenic trisulfide. Why is this?

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Arsenic sulfide
 
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zachem62 said:
Why is this?
Distinguishes it from the di- and penta-sulfides, AsS and As2S5.
 

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