Here's why:
* Ra is the symbol for Radium, an alkaline earth metal.
* N is the symbol for Nitrogen, a nonmetal.
* The compound is ionic because it involves a metal (Radium) and a nonmetal (Nitrogen).
* The charges of the ions are:
* Radium (Ra) has a +2 charge (Ra²⁺).
* Nitrogen (N) has a -3 charge (N³⁻).
* To balance the charges, we need three Ra²⁺ ions and two N³⁻ ions, resulting in the formula Ra₃N₂.
Therefore, the name of the compound is formed by combining the name of the metal (Radium) followed by the name of the nonmetal (Nitrogen) with the suffix "-ide".