A compound consisting of one oxygen atom and two nitrogen atoms is written \(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) and is called dinitrogen monoxide. It is not written as \(\mathrm{ON}_{2}\), and it is not called oxygen dinitride. Explain why.

In a covalent bond, atoms share electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration. In this case, the nitrogen and oxygen atoms are held together by covalent bonds. The nitrogen atoms share electrons with each other and the oxygen atom shares electrons with the two nitrogen atoms.

Molecular formulas are used to represent the composition of a molecule, showing the elements and the number of atoms of each element present. In this compound, there are two nitrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, so the molecular formula should represent this information in an organized way.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is responsible for setting conventions and standards for naming chemical compounds. According to IUPAC rules, the following principles apply when naming a compound: 1. The element with the lower group number in the periodic table comes first in the name. 2. If two elements are in the same group, the element with the higher period number comes first. 3. The number of atoms of each element is indicated by a prefix: mono (1), di (2), tri (3), etc.

Using the IUPAC naming conventions, we can determine the correct name and molecular formula for the compound: 1. Nitrogen has a group number of 15 and oxygen has a group number of 16. According to IUPAC rules, the element with the lower group number comes first in the name, so we begin with nitrogen. 2. There are two nitrogen atoms in the compound, so we use the prefix 'di' to indicate this: "dinitrogen" 3. Oxygen is the second element in the compound, and there is only one oxygen atom. Therefore, we use the prefix 'mono' to indicate this: "monoxide" 4. Together, the name becomes "dinitrogen monoxide" 5. To represent the molecular formula, we use N₂O, which clearly shows that there are two nitrogen atoms and one oxygen atom in the compound. Now, we can confidently state that the correct name and molecular formula for the compound consisting of one oxygen atom and two nitrogen atoms is N₂O and is called dinitrogen monoxide, rather than ON₂ and not called oxygen dinitride, due to the IUPAC naming conventions and the arrangement of atoms in the compound.