Chemistry

• Naming acids

  Binary acids (without oxygen): Prefix “hydro-” and suffix “-ic” added to the root name of the nonmetal, followed by “acid.” Oxoacids (with oxygen): Name based on the polyatomic anion. If the anion name ends in “-ate,” change it to “-ic acid”; if it ends in “-ite,” change to “-ous acid”
• Naming an ionic compound

  Name the cation (metal) first and the anion (nonmetal) second. For metals with multiple oxidation states, indicate the charge with Roman numerals in parentheses
• Acids with oxygen


  • Polyatomic anion name ends in “-ate,” change it to “-ic acid”; if it ends in “-ite,” change to “-ous acid”: Sulfuric acid, Nitrous acid
• IONIC

  • Name cation + name anion with suffix –ide: Calcium chloride, Magnesium oxide, Sodium chloride
• Writing formula for ionic substances: The overall compound and its formula are electrically neutral, meaning total positive charge (from cation) = total negative charge (from anion)
• Ionic compounds

  Compounds formed from positive ions (cation) and a negative ions (anion). Metals become cations by losing electrons, and non-metals become anions by gaining electrons. The formula is a ratio of cations to anions, forming a lattice
• MOLECULAR

  • Prefixes for the number of each element. Second element takes suffix -ide: Phosphorous pentachloride, Nitrogen dioxide, Dinitrogen pentoxide
• Naming molecular binary compounds

  Contain two non-metals. Use prefixes to indicate the number of atoms of each element. The first element keeps its name; the second element’s name is modified to end in “-ide”
• Binary ACIDS without oxygen

  • No oxygen – prefix hydro, Suffix –ic end with the word acid: Hydrochloric acid
• If the charges on the cation and anion are NOT equal in magnitude, use the charge on the cation as the subscript for the anion. Use the charge on the anion (omitting the negative sign) as the subscript for the cation
• Binary acids without oxygen


  • No oxygen – prefix hydro, Suffix –ic, end with the word acid
• Writing the formula for an ionic compound

  Identify the cation, Write the correct formula and charge for the cation, Identify the anion, Write the correct formula and charge for the anion, Combine the cation and anion to produce an electrically neutral compound
• If the charges on the cation and anion are equal in magnitude (i.e. +1/-1, +2/-2, +3/-3), combine the cation and anion in a 1:1 ratio
• Do not show the charges of the ions when you write the final formula for the compound
• When writing the formula for ionic substances, the overall compound and its formula are electrically neutral
• Forgetting to follow the rule of total positive charge (from cation) = total negative charge (from anion) is a common mistake when writing formulas for ionic compounds
• Acids with oxygen

  • Sulfuric acid
  • Nitrous acid
• Empirical formula for sodium carbonate: Sodium ion (Na+) combined with carbonate ion (CO3^2-) to form Na2CO3
• Place parentheses around a polyatomic ion if you need more than one of them in the final formula
• Common polyatomic ions

  • nitrate
  • nitrite
  • permanganate
  • phosphate
  • sulfate
  • Sulfite
  • carbonate
  • hydroxide
  • acetate
  • ammonium
• Binary acids without oxygen

  • Hydrochloric acid
• Acids with oxygen


  • Polyatomic anion name ends in “-ate,” change it to “-ic acid”; if it ends in “-ite,” change to “-ous acid”