Identifying Types of Compounds

Compounds Overview

Types of Compounds

• Ionic Compounds

  • Formed from the transfer of electrons

  • Composed of ions: typically metals and nonmetals

  • Example:

    • NaCl (Sodium Chloride)

    • KBr (Potassium Bromide)

    • LiF (Lithium Fluoride)

• Covalent Compounds

  • Formed from the sharing of electrons

  • Composed of molecules: typically nonmetals

  • Example:

    • CO2 (Carbon Dioxide)

    • N2O5 (Dinitrogen Pentoxide)

    • CH4 (Methane)

    • P2O5 (Diphosphorus Pentoxide)

Polyatomic Ions

• Definition: A group of atoms that acts as a single ion.

• Common Examples:

  • SO4^2- (Sulfate)

  • NH4^+ (Ammonium)

Acids and Hydrates

Acids

• Formed from the reaction of hydrogen with a compound, typically with at least one acidic hydrogen (H).

• Notation: The symbol 'H' will be written first in the formula.

• Examples:

  • HCl (Hydrochloric Acid)

  • H2SO4 (Sulfuric Acid)

  • HNO2 (Nitrous Acid)

  • HBrO (Hypobromous Acid)

Hydrates

• Definition: Ionic compounds that have water physically bound to them.

• Notation: Water molecules (H2O) will be included in the formula, denoting the number of water molecules present.

• Examples:

  • CuSO4·5H2O (Copper(II) Sulfate Pentahydrate)

  • CoCl2·6H2O (Cobalt(II) Chloride Hexahydrate)