What prefixes are used in chemistry (such as in dichloride, trisodium,…)?

Answer

Dear Chloe

Di and tri are indeed prefixes used in chemistry. These are often omitted in current use. huh₂SO₄ is officially dihydrogen sulfate. But everyone just talks about hydrogen sulphate; This is because the chemists automatically know that the sulphate group has two negative charges and thus automatically two H atoms are needed to obtain the neutral molecule.
Where there is doubt (several possibilities), the prefixes are used; eg diarsenic trioxide. Arsenic has several oxidation stages, which is why prefixes are needed here to write the formula without any problems.

Tetra (4), penta (5), hexa (6), hepta (7),… are prefixes that are common in organic chemistry.

Regards
Patrick Demeyere