What is the compound name for Al2O3?

The compound Al2O3 is known as aluminum oxide. This compound is an ionic compound consisting of aluminum cations (Al^3+) and oxide anions (O^2-). The naming of ionic compounds follows specific rules that help in identifying the ratio of the ions present in the compound.

Here is a step-by-step explanation of how the name is derived:

1. Identify the cation and anion: In Al2O3, Al is the cation, which is aluminum, and O is the anion, which is oxygen.

2. Determine the charge on each ion: Aluminum forms a cation with a charge of +3 (Al^3+), and oxygen forms an anion with a charge of -2 (O^2-).

3. Balance the charges to get the formula: The formula Al2O3 indicates that two aluminum ions are needed to balance the charge of three oxide ions. This is because (2 x +3) + (3 x -2) = 0, which satisfies the requirement for electrical neutrality in an ionic compound.

4. Name the cation: The cation is named first, using the element name. In this case, it is "aluminum."

5. Name the anion: The anion is named by taking the root of the element name and adding the suffix "-ide." For oxygen, the name becomes "oxide."

6. Combine the names: Since the ratio of aluminum to oxygen in the compound is already the simplest ratio (2:3), and aluminum only forms a +3 charge, there is no need to specify the charge in the name. Therefore, the name of the compound is simply "aluminum oxide."

In summary, the compound Al2O3 is named aluminum oxide, reflecting the presence of aluminum and oxygen ions in their respective ratios and charges.