Which statement correctly defines a ternary compound?

Which statement correctly defines a ternary compound?

• A. Contains four elements.
• B. Contains two elements.
• C. Contains three different elements.
• D. Contains only one element.

Answer: (C)

A ternary compound is defined by containing three different elements. The term comes from the Latin for three, signaling three element types present in the substance, regardless of how many atoms of each element are there. For example, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) has three elements: calcium, carbon, and oxygen. In contrast, a substance like water has only two elements (hydrogen and oxygen), making it binary, and a compound with four distinct elements would be quaternary, such as ammonium dichromate, which contains nitrogen, hydrogen, chromium, and oxygen. So the description that it contains three different elements correctly captures what a ternary compound is.

A ternary compound is defined by containing three different elements. The term comes from the Latin for three, signaling three element types present in the substance, regardless of how many atoms of each element are there. For example, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) has three elements: calcium, carbon, and oxygen. In contrast, a substance like water has only two elements (hydrogen and oxygen), making it binary, and a compound with four distinct elements would be quaternary, such as ammonium dichromate, which contains nitrogen, hydrogen, chromium, and oxygen. So the description that it contains three different elements correctly captures what a ternary compound is.