Naming Chemical Formulae

• Rule #1: The first letter of each element must be a capital letter
• Rule #2: The number of atoms goes after the element symbol in subscript (Do not include “1” if there is only one atom)
• Carbon trioxide: CO3

  • 3 oxygen atoms
• Nitrogen dioxide: NO2
• Copper chloride: CuCl2

  • 1 copper atom
  • 2 chlorine atoms
• Chlorine and methane react to form chloromethane and hydrogen chloride

  • Reactants: chlorine and methane
  • Products: chloromethane and hydrogen chloride
  • Word Equation: Chlorine + Methane → Chloromethane + Hydrogen Chloride
• A mixture of flour, sugar and eggs is baked to make a delicious batch of biscuits

  • Reactants: flour, sugar, eggs
  • Product: batch of biscuits
  • Word Equation: Flour + Sugar + Eggs → Batch of Biscuits
• A small piece of magnesium was dropped into hydrochloric acid. Hydrogen gas and magnesium chloride was produced

  • Reactants: magnesium, hydrochloric acid
  • Products: hydrogen gas, magnesium chloride
  • Word Equation: Magnesium + Hydrochloric Acid → Hydrogen Gas + Magnesium Chloride
• Copper sulfate is produced when copper and sulfur are heated over a Bunsen burner

  • Reactants: copper, sulfur
  • Product: copper sulfate
  • Word Equation: Copper + Sulfur → Copper Sulfate
• C2H5OH: 2 carbon atoms, 5 hydrogen atoms, 1 oxygen atom
• Elements:

  • Iron, Fe
  • Sulphur, S
  • Silver, Ag
  • Iodine, I
  • Nitrogen, N
  • Oxygen, O
  • Lithium, Li
  • Bromine, Br
• Compounds:

  • 2 aluminium atoms & 3 oxygen atoms
  • 1 calcium atom, 1 carbon atom & 3 oxygen atoms
  • 1 potassium atom, 1 oxygen atom & 1 hydrogen atom
  • 1 hydrogen atom, 1 nitrogen atom & 3 oxygen atoms