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What is the correct name of #Fe_2O_3#?

Answer 1

There are both a correct modern (IUPAC) name and a correct historical name. Both distinguish between the iron oxidation states.

The IUPAC - International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry - defines modern chemical nomenclature. Oxides are described with the metal atom first, followed by its oxidation state. Thus, the two forms of iron oxides are FeO and #Fe_2O_3#, with an iron oxidation state of +2 and +3, respectively.

The IUPAC designation for #Fe_2O_3# is iron (III) oxide.

In keeping with all oxide compounds (including "hypo", "hyper" prefixes for other values), the older historical names used the endings "ous" and "ic" to distinguish between the two states.

The former name for #Fe_2O_3# is ferric oxide.

It is chemically incorrect to simply refer to it as iron oxide in all cases.

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Answer 2

Naomi Aronson

Fe2O3 is actually known as iron(III) oxide.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.