Chemistry / Unit 2 Chem 0330 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Common Names That Override Systematic Rules
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The idea
A small set of molecular compounds keep a traditional common name instead of the name their own systematic rules would predict.
In practice
N2O is called nitrous oxide in practice, though the prefix rules alone would predict "dinitrogen monoxide" for the same molecule.
Where people slip
Water is the most extreme case — nobody calls H2O "dihydrogen monoxide" outside of a joke about the name itself.
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