* Ionic Compounds: Na₂O is an ionic compound, meaning it's formed by the electrostatic attraction between positively charged ions (cations) and negatively charged ions (anions).
* Cation First: When naming ionic compounds, the cation (positive ion) is always named first, followed by the anion (negative ion).
* Simple Anion: In Na₂O, the cation is sodium (Na⁺) and the anion is oxide (O²⁻). Since oxide is a simple anion, we use its base name without any prefixes.
Therefore, the correct name for Na₂O is sodium oxide. The prefix "di-" is used for ionic compounds only when the anion is polyatomic and has a variable charge.
