Ionic compounds, nomenclature

Flashcards generated from lecture notes to aid in exam preparation.

Cations

Positively charged ions. Lost electron(s). Typically metals.

Anions

Negatively charged ions. Gained electron(s). Typically nonmetals.

Crisscrossing Technique

The process of swapping charges to create subscripts in chemical formulas.

Lowest Integer Number

The simplest whole number ratio of elements in a compound.

Oxide

An oxygen ion with a -2 charge.

Sulfide

A sulfide ion with a -2 charge.

Parenthesis

Indicates the charge of a metal cation in a compound using roman numerals.

Ionic Compound

The opposite electrostatic attraction between a cation and anion (metal and nonmetal typically) form an ionic bond. The charge of an ionic bond must equal 0.

Non-Mono Greek Prefix

A type of prefix (other than mono) used to indicate the number of atoms of an element in a molecular/covalent compound.

Ide Ending

The characteristic ending for the second element in a molecular compound name.

Molecular compound

A compound formed by the sharing of electrons (two nonmetals typically), requiring explicit specification of atom numbers.