Naming
Compounds
and Writing
Formulas
ADVANCED CHEMISTRY
10-Genuineness/9-Grace
Ponder on
this…
Chemical
Nomenclature-
“ Part 1
A chemical nomenclature is a set of rules to generate
systematic names for chemical compounds. The
nomenclature used most frequently worldwide is the
one created and developed by the International Union
of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
IONIC COMPOUNDS
Ionic compounds are compounds composed of ions, charged particles that
form when an atom gains or loses electrons.
• A cation is a positively charged ion
• An anion is a negatively charged ion.
(or group of atoms, in the case of polyatomic ions)
Ionic compounds are (usually) formed when a metal reacts with a nonmetal (or
a polyatomic ion).
• Metal + Nonmetal —> ionic compound (usually)
• Metal + Polyatomic ion —> ionic compound (usually)
IONIC COMPOUNDS
Main-Group Metals (Groups IA, IIA, and IIIA)
Group IA, IIA, and IIIA metals tend to form
cations by losing all of their outermost
(valence) electrons.
The charge on the cation is the same as the
group number. The cation is given the same
name as the neutral metal atom.
Transition (B-group) and
Post-Transition (Group IVA and
VA) Metals
These elements usually form ionic
compounds; many of them can form
more than one cation. (The charges
of the common transition metals
must be memorized; Group IV and
V metal cations tend to be either the
group number).
Many of these ions have common or
trivial names formed from the stem
of the element name (the Latin
name in some cases) plus the
ending -ic or -ous. (-ic endings go
with the higher possible charge, -
ous endings go with the lower
possible charge).
Transition Metals
The systematic names (also known as the Stock
system) for these ions are derived by naming the
metal first, followed in parentheses by the charge
written in Roman numerals.
For the metals below that typically form only one
charge, it is not usually necessary to specify the
charge in the compound name.
For example, iron can form two possible ions, 2+
and 3+. The Fe2+ ion is known as the ferrous ion
(common) or the iron(II) ion (systematic); the Fe3+
ion is known as the ferric ion (common) or the
iron(III) ion (systematic).
The mercury(I) cation is a special case; it consists
of two Hg+ ions joined together, and so is always
found as Hg22+. (Hence, mercury(I) chloride is
Hg2Cl2, not HgCl, while mercury (II) chloride is
HgCl2.)
NON-METALS
Main-Group Nonmetals (Groups IVA, VA,
VIA, and VIIA)
Group IVA, VA, VIA, and VIIA
nonmetals tend to form anions by
gaining enough electrons to fill their
valence shell with eight electrons.
The charge on the anion is the group
number minus eight. The anion is
named by taking the element stem
name and adding the ending -ide.
Polyatomic Ions
Polyatomic Ions
Polyatomic ions are ions
that are composed of two
or more atoms that are
linked by covalent bonds,
but that still have a net
deficiency or surplus of
electrons, resulting in an
overall charge on the
group.
A metal plus a polyatomic
ion yields an ionic
compound.
Polyatomic Ions
There are some regularities in the names of these polyatomic ions.
Thio- implies replacing an oxygen atom with a sulfur atom:
Polyatomic Ions
Replacing the first element in the formula with another element from the same
group gives a polyatomic ion with the same charge, and a similar name:
Polyatomic Ions
Some nonmetals form a series of polyatomic ions with oxygen (all having the same charge):
ClO-, hypochlorite; ClO2-, chlorite; ClO3-, chlorate; ClO4-, perchlorate.
The -ate forms (formula and charge) must be memorized. In some cases, the -ate form has
three oxygens, and in some cases four oxygens. The charge is the same for the entire series.
The -ite form has one less oxygen that the -ate form.
The hypo- stem -ite form has two less oxygens than the -ate form.
The per- stem -ate form has one more oxygen than the -ate form.
The -ide form is the monatomic anion (see Main-Group Nonmetals)
The general rules for such series are summarized in the table below:
Chemical
Nomenclature-
“ Part 2
A chemical nomenclature is a set of rules to generate
systematic names for chemical compounds. The
nomenclature used most frequently worldwide is the
one created and developed by the International Union
of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Writing Formulas of Ionic
Compounds
The cation is written first, followed by the
monatomic or polyatomic anion.
The subscripts in the formula must produce
an electrically neutral formula unit. (That is,
the total amount of positive charge must
equal the total amount of negative charge.)
The subscripts should be the smallest set of
whole numbers possible.
If there is only one of a polyatomic ion in the
formula, do not place parentheses around it;
e.g., NaNO3, not Na(NO3). If there is more
than one of a polyatomic ion in the formula,
put the ion in parentheses, and place the
subscript after the parentheses; e.g.,
Ca(OH)2, Ba3(PO4)2, etc.
Nomenclature of Ionic and
Covalent Compounds
Binary Ionic Compounds Containing a Metal and a Nonmetal.
A binary compound is a compound formed from two
different elements.
A diatomic compound (or diatomic molecule) contains two
atoms.
Metals combine with nonmetals to give ionic compounds.
When naming binary ionic compounds, name the cation
first (specifying the charge, if necessary), then the
nonmetal anion (element stem + -ide).
Do NOT use prefixes to indicate how many of each
element is present; this information is implied in the name
of the compound.
Ionic Compounds Containing a
Metal and a Polyatomic Ion
Metals combine with polyatomic ions to
give ionic compounds. Name the cation
first (specifying the charge, if necessary),
then the polyatomic ion as listed in the
table above (or as derived from the rules
which were given).
Do NOT use prefixes to indicate how many
of each element is present; this
information is implied in the name of the
compound.
Acid and Acid Salts
Acids are compounds in which the
"cation" is H+.These can be named as
compounds as in the previous cases,
e.g., HCl is "hydrogen chloride", but are
more frequently given special "acid
names" (especially when dissolved in
water, which is most frequently the
case.) The word "hydrogen" is omitted,
the word "acid" is added to the end; the
suffix is changed as shown below:
Acids and Acids Salts
Acid salts are ionic compounds that still contain an acidic hydrogen, such as NaHSO4. In
naming these salts, specify the number of acidic hydrogen's in the salt.
The prefix bi- implies an acidic hydrogen:
thus, NaHCO3 is sodium bicarbonate (or
sodium hydrogen carbonate); NaHSO3 is
sodium bisulfite (or sodium hydrogen
sulfite), etc.
Binary Covalent Compounds
Between Two Nonmetals
Two nonmetals combine to form a covalent or molecular compound (i.e., one that is held
together by covalent bonds which result from the sharing of electrons).
In many cases, two elements can combine in several different ways to make completely
different compounds. (This cannot happen with ionic compounds, except in the cases of
metals that can form more than one charge.) For instance, carbon can share electrons
with one oxygen to make CO (carbon monoxide), or with two oxygen's to make CO2
(carbon dioxide). For this reason, it is necessary to specify how many of each element is
present within the compound.
The formula is written with the more electropositive element (the one further to the left
on the periodic table) placed first, then the more electronegative element (the one
further to the right on the periodic table).
[Important exception: when the compound contains oxygen and a halogen, the halogen
is placed first. If both elements are in the same group, the one with the higher period
number is named first.]
The first element in the formula is given the neutral element name, and the second one
is named by replacing the ending of the neutral element name with -ide. A prefix is used
in front of each element name to indicate how many atoms of that element are present:
Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons contain only carbon and hydrogen, and are the simplest type of organic
compound (a compound containing carbon).
Alkanes contain only carbon-carbon single bonds, and are the simplest of the hydrocarbons.
The simplest of the alkanes are the straight-chain alkanes, in which all of the carbon atoms
are linked together in a line, with no branches. (They don't get simpler than that!)
Alkanes have the general formula CnH2n+2, and are the constituents of several important
fuels, such as natural gas and gasoline.
Organic chemistry has a completely different set of rules for nomenclature; straight-chain
alkanes are named using a prefix plus the suffix -ane. Notice that after C4, the prefixes are
the same as those listed above for binary covalent compounds.
Have a
nice
day!
