In the following pairs of binary compounds, determine which one is a molecular substance and which one is an ionic substance. Use the appropriate naming convention (for ionic or molecular substances) to assign a name to each compound: (a) TiCl₄ and CaF₂

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: To determine whether a compound is ionic or molecular, we need to look at the types of elements it contains. Ionic compounds are formed between metals and nonmetals, while molecular compounds are formed between nonmetals only.
2. Step 2: In the compound TiCl₄, Ti is a metal (Titanium) and Cl is a nonmetal (Chlorine). Therefore, TiCl₄ is an ionic compound. The name of this compound, following the naming convention for ionic compounds, is Titanium(IV) Chloride. The Roman numeral IV indicates the charge of the Titanium ion.
3. Step 3: In the compound CaF₂, Ca is a metal (Calcium) and F is a nonmetal (Fluorine). Therefore, CaF₂ is also an ionic compound. The name of this compound, following the naming convention for ionic compounds, is Calcium Fluoride.
4. Step 4: In this case, both compounds are ionic, not molecular. If we had a molecular compound, it would be named using prefixes to indicate the number of atoms of each element (for example, CO₂ is carbon dioxide).
5. Step 5: To summarize, TiCl₄ is an ionic compound named Titanium(IV) Chloride, and CaF₂ is an ionic compound named Calcium Fluoride.

Key Concepts

Ionic vs. Molecular Compounds

Ionic compounds are formed from the electrostatic attraction between positively and negatively charged ions, typically between metals and nonmetals. In contrast, molecular compounds consist of molecules formed by covalent bonds, where atoms share electrons, usually between nonmetals. Understanding the distinction helps in identifying the nature of the compounds in the question.

Naming Ionic Compounds

Ionic compounds are named by stating the name of the metal cation first, followed by the name of the nonmetal anion with its ending changed to '-ide.' For example, in CaF2, calcium (Ca) is the cation and fluoride (F) is the anion, resulting in the name calcium fluoride. This naming convention is essential for correctly identifying and naming the compounds.

Naming Molecular Compounds

Molecular compounds are named using prefixes to indicate the number of atoms of each element present in the molecule, followed by the name of the first element and the second element with an '-ide' suffix. For instance, TiCl4 is named titanium tetrachloride, where 'tetra-' indicates four chlorine atoms. This systematic approach is crucial for accurately naming molecular substances.