P4O10 is a covalent compound. This classification comes from the fact that it is made up of nonmetal elements—phosphorus (P) and oxygen (O)—which typically form covalent bonds by sharing electrons rather than transferring them as in ionic compounds.
To determine the naming of P4O10, we follow the rules for naming covalent compounds. In covalent naming, we use prefixes to indicate the number of atoms of each element present in the molecule. The prefix ‘tetra-‘ is used for four (in the case of phosphorus), and ‘deca-‘ is used for ten (in the case of oxygen).
Thus, P4O10 is named tetraphosphorus decoxide. It’s important to note that prefixes are used for both elements, although the ‘mono-‘ prefix is usually omitted for the first element in the name.