To determine whether the compound Ca3N2 (calcium nitride) is ionic or covalent, we first need to consider the types of elements involved. Calcium (Ca) is a metal, while nitrogen (N) is a non-metal. Generally, when a metal and a non-metal react, the resulting compound is ionic. This is because metals tend to lose electrons and become positive ions (cations), whereas non-metals tend to gain electrons and become negative ions (anions).
In Ca3N2, each calcium atom loses two electrons to form Ca2+ ions, and each nitrogen atom gains three electrons to form N3- ions. Therefore, the formula Ca3N2 makes sense because three Ca2+ ions balance out two N3- ions, resulting in a neutral compound.
Since Ca3N2 is formed from a metal and a non-metal, we classify it as an ionic compound.
Now, regarding the naming of Ca3N2, the naming conventions for ionic compounds involve naming the cation first followed by the anion. The cation (calcium) retains its elemental name, while the anion (from nitrogen) is named by modifying the element’s name to end with ‘-ide’. Thus, nitrogen becomes nitride.
Putting it all together, the name of Ca3N2 is calcium nitride.