How do you determine which non-metal is written first in a covalent compound? This has been a confusion for me for quite some time.
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2$\begingroup$ Why is methane's molecular formula conventionally “CH₄”, while water is “H₂O” (among others)? $\endgroup$– orthocresolCommented May 27, 2017 at 13:16
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3$\begingroup$ Why do we write NH3? $\endgroup$– orthocresolCommented May 27, 2017 at 13:17
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2$\begingroup$ Why is arsenous acid denoted H3AsO3? $\endgroup$– orthocresolCommented May 27, 2017 at 13:17
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$\begingroup$ It's just a convention. $\endgroup$– Pritt says Reinstate MonicaCommented May 27, 2017 at 14:02
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2 Answers
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The way my teacher taught me was C,H,O first, and then in order of decreasing electronegativity.
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Typical convention for organic molecules is to list carbon first, than hydrogen, and then other elements in alphabetical order. The Merck Index, for example, does it this way.
