If a polyatomic ion is made of halogen and oxygen atoms, what form would one take if it had the fewest atoms?
This form would get only an -ate suffix.
This form would get a hypo- prefix and an -ite suffix.
This form would get a per- prefix and an -ate suffix.
This form would get only an -ite suffix.
Yes, you are correct! If a polyatomic ion made of halogen and oxygen atoms has the fewest number of atoms, it would take the form that gets a per- prefix and an -ate suffix. This is because when there are additional oxygen atoms added to the ion, it gets the suffix -ate. In the case of the fewest atoms, if a per- prefix is added to the halogen, it indicates the highest possible oxidation state for that element. Therefore, the correct form would have only a per- prefix and an -ate suffix.
