I asked already but forget to add two. This is the question my homework says: "Explain why the name, copper(I) dichlroine, is not the correct name for the chemical compound, CuCl2. Write the correct name for a compound with a formula, CuCl2."
Using copper(I) dichlroine for CuCl2 makes several mistakes: 1) the name is acting like the Roman numeral (I) indicates that there is one copper in the formula. That is not what the Roman numeral is there for. 2) The di- is used when two nonmetals for a molecule, not for ionic substances. The di- is also not used in conjunction with the Roman numeral. 3) The -ine ending is associated with the elemental state. When chlorine is in a compound, the ending is changed to -ide to indicate the chlorine is now in a chemical compound. CuCl2 = copper(II) chloride The Roman numeral (the II) indicates the charge on the copper, not how many there are. BTW, copper(I) chloride exists. Its formula is CuCl.
In CuCl2, the charge of 2 Cl-1ions is -2. So the charge of Cu is +2. This means the roman numeral is II. The name of a Cl-1 ion is chloride. The correct name is copper II chloride.
copper (I) chloride = CuCl copper (II) chloride = CuCl2 Copper (I) exists as the ion Cu+ Copper (II) exists as the ion Cu+2
