In what cases are mono, di, tri, and etc... used in compounds?

I want to know when and how these should be used.


Like for oxygen theirs dioxide, trioxide , but I don't know what makes them thatIn what cases are mono, di, tri, and etc... used in compounds?
Pretty much whats been written PLUS,





The prefixes are also used for Hydrates to denote how many molecules of water/ H2O are attached. IE: 2= Dihydrate,





Then you have Hydrocarbons. The first four hydrocarbons don't follow standard naming convention. C1=Methane, C2=Ethane, C3=Propane and C4=n-Butane or Isobutane. Then comes Pentane, Hexane and so on.





Learning the nomenclature of Chemistry is like learning a language that has no real rules.In what cases are mono, di, tri, and etc... used in compounds?
Generally they would be used depending on the subscript to indicate the atom number in the molecule:





CO2 = carbon DIoxide (no one ever says monocarbon dioxide, although it is theoretically possible).





NI3 = nitrogen TRIiodide





CO = carbon monoxide





H2O = dihydrogen oxide (not dihydrogen monoxide, but probably not in error to say it)





(CH3CH2)4Pb = tetraethyl lead (used to be important ingredient in gasoline)
Prefixes are used to name molecular compounds. These are compounds that are made of nonmetals, and are covalently bonded. You co not use prefixes with ionic compounds, or compounds with a metal and a nonmetal.


The general rules for using prefixes in molecular compounds are:





1 Never use a prefix on the first name in the compound unless there are more than one atom of it.





2. Use a prefix on the second name. So you can have carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.





3. Write the full name of the first element followed by a prefix and the root of the name of the second element, followed by the suffix ';ide';:. So in CO, you put down carbon dioxide.


As another example, if you had S6O9 (which doesn't exist) , you would write hexasulfur nonoxide. There are more than one atom of the first element, so you use a prefix
Prefix:


mono = one


di = 2


tri = 3





Its just how many oxygen there are in a substance





ex. CO2 = carbon dioxide, where there is 2 oxygen for each carbon

trilogy