Question

Which is the correct chemical formula for silicon dioxide?

A.
SiO

B.
Si2O2

C.
SiO2

D.
2SiO

Answer 1

Like Carbon, Silicon can form four covalent bonds, so it has four spots for extra valence electrons to bond. Oxygen has two extra valence electrons in its noble gas state, so to fill the void in Silicon, two oxygen atoms are required. Thus, your answer is C, as @Isaiah.Feynman drew above.

Answer 2

You don't even need a structure, if you remember the rules for naming covalent molecules and whether or not each name within the compound contains a prefix that tells you exactly how many atoms of that type are presenting the formula

Answer 3

@JFraser, good call!

Answer 4

Thanks guys xx

Answer 5

@Kat_Khader - you're welcome :)