What is the chemical formula for tetraphosphorus decoxide?

Tetraphosphorus decoxide is a chemical compound composed of phosphorus and oxygen. The name itself indicates the number of phosphorus and oxygen atoms in the formula: "tetra" means four, referring to the four phosphorus (P) atoms, and "deca" means ten, indicating the presence of ten oxygen (O) atoms.

To construct the chemical formula based on the naming, we represent the four phosphorus atoms as P4 and the ten oxygen atoms as O10. Thus, combining these gives the chemical formula P4O10, which precisely matches the description provided by its name. This systematic method of nomenclature, where prefixes indicate the number of atoms for each element, helps in correctly identifying the chemical formula.

The other options provided do not refer to the correct composition of tetraphosphorus decoxide. For example, P2O3 has two phosphorus atoms and three oxygen atoms, which does not reflect the naming convention of tetraphosphorus decoxide. B4O10 suggests the presence of boron rather than phosphorus. PH3 represents phosphine, a completely different compound, with one phosphorus atom and three hydrogen atoms. Each of these compounds has its own unique structure and properties, distinguishing them from tetraphosph