The compound NO2 is commonly referred to as nitrogen IV oxide, but this name is misleading. The issue arises primarily from the Roman numeral designation used in the name.
In this case, the Roman numeral IV suggests that there are four oxygen atoms in the molecule, which is not the case since NO2 contains only two oxygen atoms. The correct naming convention follows the rules for covalent compounds, where prefixes are used to indicate the number of atoms present in the compound.
The correct name for NO2 should be nitrogen dioxide. Here, the prefix ‘di-‘ refers to the two oxygen atoms that are bonded to the nitrogen atom. Thus, the name clearly conveys the composition of the compound, avoiding any confusion associated with the Roman numeral.
In summary, the correct name for NO2 is nitrogen dioxide, which accurately represents its molecular structure without the ambiguity of using Roman numerals.