Which statement correctly defines a binary compound?

Which statement correctly defines a binary compound?

• A. Contains many elements in random ratios.
• B. Contains two different elements.
• C. Contains only one element.
• D. Contains three elements.

Answer: (B)

Binary compounds consist of exactly two different elements joined together in a fixed ratio. The statement that it contains two different elements aligns with this idea, because a binary compound is defined by having two elements chemically bonded, such as NaCl or H2O. The other descriptions describe mixtures or single-element species: having many elements in random ratios isn’t a single compound of two elements, containing only one element isn’t a compound of two elements, and containing three elements exceeds the two-element requirement.

Binary compounds consist of exactly two different elements joined together in a fixed ratio. The statement that it contains two different elements aligns with this idea, because a binary compound is defined by having two elements chemically bonded, such as NaCl or H2O. The other descriptions describe mixtures or single-element species: having many elements in random ratios isn’t a single compound of two elements, containing only one element isn’t a compound of two elements, and containing three elements exceeds the two-element requirement.