Ions, Naming, and Balancing Equations

Flashcards covering concepts of ionic and covalent bonding, naming conventions, periodic table trends for charges, and balancing chemical equations.

Anion

A negatively charged ion, typically appearing second in the name of an ionic compound.

Ionic Compounds Naming Rule

The name of the cation (positively charged ion) always comes first, followed by the anion (negatively charged ion).

Charge Balancing

The principle that the total positive and negative charges in an ionic compound must balance to yield an overall neutral compound.

Group 1 Elements (Charge)

Elements in the first column of the periodic table that typically have a +1 charge.

Nitrogen (Typical Charge)

Typically has a 3- (three minus) charge in compounds.

Oxygen (Typical Charge)

Typically has a 2- (two minus) charge in compounds.

Halogens (Typical Charge)

Elements in Group 17 (e.g., Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine) that typically have a 1- (one minus) charge.

Noble Gases

Elements that have a complete balance of electrons and are always neutral, never forming charges.

Electron Affinity

Refers to an atom's ability to give up an electron (becoming positive) or accept an electron (becoming negative).

Ligand

Anything that binds to a transition metal.

Transition Metal Charge

The charge of a transition metal depends on the ligand(s) it binds to.

Polyatomic Ions

Ions that are made up of more than one atom (e.g., ammonium, hydrogen phosphate).

Covalent Compounds

Compounds formed by the sharing of electrons between two nonmetals.

Covalent Nomenclature

The system for naming covalent compounds that uses prefixes to describe the number of atoms of each element.

Mono-

A prefix meaning 'one'.

Di-

A prefix meaning 'two'.

Tri-

A prefix meaning 'three'.

Tetra-

A prefix meaning 'four'.

Penta-

A prefix meaning 'five'.

Hexa-

A prefix meaning 'six'.

Hepta-

A prefix meaning 'seven'.

Octa-

A prefix meaning 'eight'.

Nona-

A prefix meaning 'nine'.

Deca-

A prefix meaning 'ten'.

Hydrocarbons

Organic compounds containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms, named using prefixes that indicate the number of carbons.

Line Structure (Hydrocarbons)

A visual representation where each vertex or end of a line represents a carbon atom, and sufficient hydrogen atoms are assumed to be present to satisfy carbon's four bonds.

Carbon Bonding Rule

Carbon atoms must always have four bonds to be stable and neutral, with each bond containing two electrons.

Methanol (CH3OH)

A compound with one carbon atom bonded to an -OH group, known for causing blindness if consumed.

Ethanol (C2H5OH)

A compound with two carbon atoms bonded to an -OH group, which is potable alcohol.

Balancing Chemical Equations

The process of ensuring that the number of each type of atom is equal on both the reactant and product sides of a chemical reaction, adhering to the Law of Conservation of Mass.

Law of Conservation of Mass

A fundamental law stating that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction; the total mass of the reactants must equal the total mass of the products.