MODULE ON FORMULA WRITING AND NAMING OF COMPOUNDS

Molecules
A molecule is an aggregate of at least two atoms in a defnite arrangement held
together by chemical forces (also called chemical bonds)
Examples of molecules
O2, H2, l2 ! diatomic molecules
H2O, "2H22O"" ! polyatomic molecules
Ions
#s an atom or a group of atoms that has a net positi$e or negati$e charge
%wo basic types of ions&
'ositi$e ions or cations
one or more electrons less than neutral
(a
)
, a
2)
, Al
*)
+ monoatomic cation
(H
,)
+ polyatomic cation
(egati$e ions or anions
one or more electrons more than neutral
-
+
, O
2+
, (
*+
+ monoatomic anion
.O,
2+
, 'O,
*+
+ polyatomic anions
present in the molecule or compound
Chemical Formulas
hemical formula shows the chemical composition of the substance/ #t is the ratio
of the elements
%ypes of formulas&
"/ 0olecular -ormula ! shows the exact number of atoms of each element in
the smallest unit of a substance
Example&
Molecular Formula Name
H2 hydrogen
O2 oxygen
O* o1one
H2O water
(ote that oxygen and o1one are allotropes of oxygen/
Allotrope ! is one or two distinct forms of an element/
2/ Empirical formulas ! tells us which elements are present and the simplest
ratio of their atoms, but not necessary the actual member of atoms in a
gi$en molecule/
Example&
Empirical
Formula
Molecular
ormula
Name
(H2 N!"# h$%ra&ine
Prac'ice E(ercise !)!* 2hat are the empirical formulas of the following
compounds3
a/ Al24r5, b/ (a2.2O,,
c/ 62r2O7, d/ (2O8
Formula o Ionic Compoun%s
-ormula of ionic compounds is determined by the charges of the ions)
harge on the cations must e9ual the charge on the anions/
%he compound must be neutral, that is the sum of the charges on the
cation and anion in each formula unit must be e9ual to 1ero/
#f they are di:erent, we apply the following formula to ma;e the
formula electrically neutral& %he subscript of the cation is numerically
e9ual to the charge on the anion, and the subscript of the anion is
numerically e9ual to the charge on the cation/ (2e call this the <criss+
cross= method)/ #f the charges are numerically e9ual, then no
subscripts are necessary/ %his rule follows because the formulas of
most ionic compounds are empirical formulas, and as such, the
subscripts are reduced to the smallest whole number ratios/ Examples
are as follows
- 'otassium 4romide is formed by 6
)
and 4r
+
/ %he formula is 64r/
- >inc #odide is formed by >n
2)
and #
+
/ %he formula is >n#2/
- Aluminum Oxide is formed by Al
*)
and O
2+
/
Al
3 +
O
2 -
= Al2O3
%he formula is Al2O*/ %he sum of the charges is therefore 1ero& 2
x ()*)? +,-. for Al and * x (+2) ? +/-. for O therefore +,-. , +/
-. 0 1/
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Prac'ice E(ercise !)2* 2hich of the following compounds are li;ely to be ionic3
2hich are li;ely to be molecular3
a/ H, b/ (a4r
c/ 4a-2 d/ l,
e/ #l f/ sl
Namin3 Compoun%s
Ionic Compoun%s1
"/ 4inar$ Compoun%s compound that is composed of two elements, the
cation deri$ed from metal atoms and a nonmetallic anion/
a/ ation with only one charge ( Al;ali metal cations, Al;aline earth metal
cations, Ag
)
, Al
*)
, d
2)
, >n
2)
)
Rule& name the ()) ion ) name the stem of the (+) ion ) +ide
The 5/i%e6 Nomencla'ure o Some Common Mona'omic Anion
Accor%in3 'o Their Posi'ion in 'he Perio%ic Ta7le
Group #A Group 8A Group -A Group 9A

#/
arbide (
2/
(itride O
!/
Oxide -
:/
-luoride
.i
#/
.ilicide '
2/
'hosphide .
!/
.ulfde l
:/
hloride
.e
!/
.elenide 4r
:/
4romide
%e
!/
%elluride #
:/
#odide
Example&
Formula Name
(al sodium chloride
Al2O* aluminum oxide
64r potassium
bromide
>n#2 1inc iodide
b/ b/ ation with more than one charge (%ransition metals except Ag
)
,
Al
*)
, d
2)
, >n
2)
)
Rule* name the metal ) (Aoman numeral of the charge of the metal
cation) ) name the stem of the (+) ion ) +ide
Example&
Formula Name
-el2 iron (ii) chloride
-el* iron (iii) chloride
0nO manganese (ii) oxide
0n2O* manganese (iii)
oxide
0nO2 manganese (i$)
oxide
2/ Ternar$ Compoun%s compounds consisting of three elements/
Rule* name the ()) ion ) name the (+) ion
Example&
TA4LE !)2 on page 27 of the
Beneral hemistry& %he Essential oncepts, 8
th
edition by
Aaymond hang, displays the formulas, charges and names of
some common cations and anion/

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Prac'ice E(ercise !)# * (ame the following compounds&
a/ u((O*)2 b/ 6H2'O,
c/ (H,lO* d/ 'bO
e/ Ci2.O* f/ (aHO*
Prac'ice E(ercise !)8* 2rite chemical formulas for the following compounds
a/ mercury (#) nitrate
b/ cesium sulfde
c/ barium phosphate
Formula Name
CiOH Cithium hydroxide
6( 'otassium cyanide
4a.O, 4arium sulfate
a*'O, alcium phosphate
60nO, 'otassium
permanganate
Molecular Compoun%s< molecular compounds contain discrete molecular units/
%hey are usually composed of nonmetallic elements/ 0any molecular
compounds are binary compounds/
4inar$ molecular compoun%s Bree; prefxes are used to indicate the
number of atoms in each element present in a molecule of a compound/
Numeric Pre=( Numeric Pre=(
" mono 5 hexa
2 di 7 hepta
* tri D octa
, tetra E nona
8 penta "F deca
Rule* 'refx name of the ()) ion ) name the cation ) prefx name of the
(+) ion ) stem of (+) ion ) +ide
No'e* / %he prefx mono may be omitted for the frst element
/ -or oxides, the ending <a= in the prefx is sometimes omitted/
+ Exceptions to the use of Bree; prefxes are molecular compounds
containing hydrogen/
Example&
Formula Name Formula Name
42H5 Giborane Hl Hydrogen
chloride
H, 0ethane .i .licon carbide
.iH, .ilane O arbon
monoxide
(H* Ammonia O2 arbon dioxide
'H* 'hosphine (O2 (itrogen dioxide
H2O 2ater (2O, Ginitrogen
tetroxide
H2. Hydrogen
sulfde
.O2 .ulfur dioxide
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Prac'ice E(ercise !)-* (ame the following molecular formula&
a/ (-* b/ l2O7
Prac'ice E(ercise !)9* 2rite chemical formulas for the following molecular
compounds&
a/ sulfur tetraHuoride b/ dinitrogen pentoxide
Namin3 Aci%s an acid can be described as a substance that yields hydrogen
ions (H
)
) when dissol$ed in water/ -ormulas for acids contain one or more
hydrogen atoms as well as an anionic group/
"/ 4inar$ aci% ! composed of hydrogen and nonmetal
Rule :& -or dry acid
Hydrogen ) stem of the non+metal ) +ide
Rule !* -or a9ueous acid
Hydro ) stem of the nonmetal ) +ic ) acid
Example&
Formula Name in %r$
orm
Name in
a>ueous solu'ion
Hl Hydrogen chloride Hydrochloric acid
H- Hydrogen Huoride HydroHuoric acid
H2. Hydrogen sulfde Hydrosulfuric acid
H( Hydrogen cyanide Hydrocyanic acid
*/ Ternar$ aci% ! contains hydrogen, oxygen and another element (the
central element) are called oxoacids/
Rule :* -or dry acid
Hydrogen ) name of ion
Rule !* -or a9ueous acid
(ame stem of the middle element ) +ousI+ic ) acid
%he use of !ous and +ic
Addition of one O atom to the <+ic= acid& %he acid is calle
<per///+ic= acid/ %hus adding an O atom to HCO* changes
the chloric acid to perchloric acid, HlO,/
Aemo$al of one O atom from the <+ic= acid& %he acid is
called <+ous= acid/ %hus nitric acid, H(O* becomes nitrous
acid, H(O2/
Aemo$al of two O atoms from the <+ic= acid& %he acid is
called <hypo///ous= acid/ %hus when H4rO* is con$erted to
H4rO, the acid is called hypobromous aid/
%he rules for naming anions of oxoacids called oxoanions, are
2hen all the H ions are remo$ed from the <+ic= acid, the
anionJs name ends with <+ate/= -or example the anion O*
2+

deri$ed from H2O* is called carbonate/
2hen all the H ions are remo$ed from the <+ous= acid, the
anionJs name ends with <+ite/= %hus the anion lO2
+
deri$ed
from HlO2 is called chlorite/
%he names of anions in which one or more but not all of the
hydrogen ions ha$e been remo$ed must indicate the
number of H) ions present/ -or example, consider the
anions deri$ed from the phosphoric acid (H*'O,)& dihydrogen
phosphate (H2'O,
+
), hydrogen phosphate (H'O,
2+
)/
Example&
Formula Name in %r$ orm Name in
a>ueous
solu'ion
H2O* Hydrogen carbonate arbonic acid
H(O* Hydrogen nitrate (itric acid
HlO, Hydrogen
perchlorate
'erchloric acid
HlO* Hydrogen chlorate hloric acid
HlO2 Hydrogen chlorite hlorous acid
HlO Hydrogen Hypochlorous
hypochlorite acid
Namin3 7ases a base can be described as a substance that yields hydroxide
ions (OH
+
) when dissol$ed in water/
Examples
sodium hydroxide ((aOH),
potassium hydroxide (6OH)
barium hydroxide K4a(OH)2
Ammonia ((H*) a molecular compound in the gaseous or pure li9uid
state, is also classifed as a common base/ %his is because when
dissol$ed in water it reacts with water and yield (H,
)
and OH
+

ions/