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Prefixes Used when Naming Molecular Compounds

When writing the name of a molecular compound, as when writing the formula, the first element is the more metal-like one (see Table 5.1, Order of Listing Nonmetal Elements).

The prefixes given to each element indicate the number of atoms present.

mono- 1   hexa- 6

di- 2   hepta- 7

tri- 3 octa- 8

tetra- 4   nona-9

penta- 5 deca-10