Naming Chemical Compounds

These flashcards cover key concepts related to the naming of chemical compounds, ionic and molecular compounds, as well as other important terminology discussed in class.

Ionic Compounds

Compounds formed from a strong electrostatic attraction (ionic bond) between a metal (which forms a positive ion or cation) and a nonmetal (which forms a negative ion or anion). These compounds typically exist as crystal lattices, where ions are arranged in a repeating pattern.

Polyatomic Ions

Ions consisting of two or more atoms covalently bonded together that carry an overall net positive or negative charge. Examples include the sulfate ion (SO4^{2-}) and the nitrate ion (NO3^{-}).

Mass Percent Composition

A quantitative measure that expresses the mass of each element as a percentage of the total mass of the compound. It is calculated using the formula: \frac{\text{mass of element in compound}}{\text{molar mass of compound}} \times 100\% .

Binary Acids

Acids that are composed of hydrogen and only one other nonmetallic element. When dissolved in water, they are named by adding the prefix 'hydro-' to the root of the nonmetal's name, followed by the suffix '-ic acid' (e.g., HCl is Hydrochloric Acid, HBr is Hydrobromic Acid).

Oxyacids

Acids that contain hydrogen, oxygen, and one other nonmetallic element, and are derived from polyatomic oxyanions. Their naming is based on the oxyanion: if the oxyanion ends in '-ate', the acid ends in '-ic acid' (e.g., sulfate $\to$ sulfuric acid); if the oxyanion ends in '-ite', the acid ends in '-ous acid' (e.g., sulfite $\to$ sulfurous acid).

Cation

A positively charged ion that forms when an atom loses one or more electrons. Metals typically form cations by losing their valence electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration.

Anion

A negatively charged ion that forms when an atom gains one or more electrons. Nonmetals typically form anions by gaining electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration.

Naming Ionic Compounds

The systematic process of assigning names to ionic compounds using established rules. Generally, the name of the cation (metal) comes first, followed by the base name of the anion (nonmetal) with the suffix '-ide'. For transition metals, a Roman numeral indicates the charge of the cation. Polyatomic ions retain their specific names.

Molecular Compounds

Compounds formed when two or more nonmetallic atoms share electrons through covalent bonds. These compounds often use prefixes (mono-, di-, tri-, etc.) to indicate the number of atoms of each element in the compound (e.g., CO2 is Carbon Dioxide, N2O is Dinitrogen Monoxide).

Solubility Rules

A set of guidelines used to predict whether an ionic compound will dissolve in water to a significant extent (soluble) or remain as a solid precipitate (insoluble). These rules are crucial for understanding chemical reactions in aqueous solutions.

Hydroxide Ion

A polyatomic ion with the chemical formula OH^- and an overall charge of -1. It consists of an oxygen atom covalently bonded to a hydrogen atom. This ion is characteristic of many bases and plays a key role in acid-base chemistry.

NaCl

Sodium Chloride, a common ionic compound formed between sodium (a Group 1 metal) and chlorine (a Group 17 nonmetal).

FeCl3

Iron(III) Chloride, an ionic compound where iron acts as a transition metal with a +3 charge, indicated by the Roman numeral in its name.

MgSO4

Magnesium Sulfate, an ionic compound comprised of the magnesium cation (Mg^{2+}) and the polyatomic sulfate anion (SO_4^{2-}).

CO2

Carbon Dioxide, a molecular compound formed by covalent bonds between a carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.

HCl(aq)

Hydrochloric Acid, a strong binary acid formed from hydrogen and chlorine, commonly used in industrial applications and laboratories.

H2SO4(aq)

Sulfuric Acid, a strong oxyacid composed of hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen, widely recognized as a highly corrosive and important industrial chemical.