* One element will be a nonmetal. Nonmetals are located on the right side of the periodic table, starting with Group 14 (carbon) and going to the right.
* The other element will also be a nonmetal. This means both elements involved will be from the same general area of the periodic table.
Important Note: There are some exceptions to this rule, such as carbon monoxide (CO) where carbon is a metalloid. However, the vast majority of binary molecular compounds follow this pattern.
