3 Writing Formulas and Naming

Compounds
BEFORE YOU READ WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Shakespeare asked, “What’s in a name?” In this lesson, you will • how to determine oxidation
learn what the names of chemical compounds can tell you. On numbers
the lines below, explain what your name tells about you. • how to write formulas and
names for ionic compounds
• how to write formulas and
names for covalent
compounds

READ TO LEARN
Writing Chemical Formulas
Alchemists were early scientists who tried to turn lead into STUDY COACH
gold. They never succeeded, but they did develop some laboratory Create a Quiz As you read the
text under each heading, write
methods and equipment that scientists still use today. The a question that your teacher
alchemists also used symbols to write formulas. Today, chemists might ask on a quiz. Exchange
continue to use symbols to write formulas for substances. They your questions with a partner
use a different system of symbols than the alchemists did. They and take each other’s quizzes.
use chemical formulas.

Oxidation numbers
Before you can write the correct formula of a compound, you
need to know which elements combine to make that compound.
All elements in a certain group of the periodic table have the C Build Vocabulary
same number of electrons in their outer energy levels. So, Make two quarter-sheet
elements in the same group all gain or lose the same number Foldables as shown below.
of electrons. Record information about the
oxidation number of the
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When they form ions, metals always lose electrons, and elements and rules for writing
nonmetals always gain electrons. The oxidation number of an formulas as you read.
atom tells you how many electrons an atom gains, loses, or shares
to become stable. It is the same as the charge on the ion. Oxidation Ionic
Number: Compounds:
The charge on the ion in an ionic compound is the same as its
oxidation number. For example, a sodium ion has a charge of 1+
and an oxidation number of 1+. A chloride ion has a charge of
1- and an oxidation number of 1-.

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295
 1+ 0
1 H 2 He
Hydrogen Helium
2+ 3+ 4+ 3- 2- 1-
3 Li 4 Be 5 B 6 C 7 N 8 O 9 F 10 Ne
Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon

11 Na 12 Mg 13 Al 14 Si 15 P 16 S 17 Cl 18 Ar
Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon

19 K 20 Ca 31 Ga 32 Ge 33 As 34 Se 35 Br 36 Kr
Potassium Calcium Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton

37 Rb 38 Sr 49 n 50 Sn 51 Sb 52 Te 53 54 Xe
Rubidium Strontium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon

55 Cs 56 Ba 81 Tl 82 Pb 83 Bi 84 Po 85 At 86 Rn
Cesium Barium Thallium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon

87 Fr 88 Ra 113 Nh 114 Fl 115 Mc 116 Lv 117 Ts 118 Og

Francium Radium Nihonium Flerovium Moscovium Livermorium Tennessine Oganesson

PICTURE THIS Oxidation numbers and the periodic table

1. Identify Circle the oxidation Look at the periodic table above. Notice the numbers above
M18_024A-668304
numbers on the periodic
table.
each column. These are the oxidation numbers for the elements
in the column. Notice how the oxidation numbers fit with the
Get It? periodic table groupings.
2. Determine the oxidation Part of the periodic table is not included in the figure above.
numbers for each of the Some elements in this section can have more than one oxidation
ions in the ionic compound
calcium bromide, CaBr2. number. The table shows some of these elements and their
oxidation numbers. Because these
elements can have more than one Some Special Ions
oxidation number, you must
Oxidation
include more information when Name

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Number
Get It? you name them. When naming
3. Determine the oxidation Copper(I) 1+
these compounds, the oxidation
number of lead in the ion Copper(II) 2+
lead(IV).
number is expressed in the name
as a roman numeral. For example, Iron(II) 2+
when iron with an oxidation Iron(III) 3+
number of 3+ combines with Lead(II) 2+
oxygen, the compound they form
Lead(IV) 4+
PICTURE THIS
is iron(III) oxide.
4. Compare Circle the Roman
numerals and the oxidation
numbers for each element
in the table.

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296
 Binary Ionic Compounds
The first formulas you will learn to write are for binary ionic
compounds. A binary compound is a compound made of two
elements. An example of a binary compound is sodium chloride,
or table salt.
Remember that ionic compounds are neutral. The ions in an
ionic compound have charges, but the compound itself does not.
The formula for an ionic compound must have the right number
of positive and negative ions to make the charges balance.
Sodium chloride For example, sodium chloride has one sodium
ion with a charge of 1+ and one chloride ion with a charge of 1−.
The 1+ balances the 1−. The correct formula for sodium chloride
is NaCl. The formula tells you that one positively charged ion
combines with one negatively charged ion and makes a neutral
compound.
Calcium fluoride What about the ionic compound calcium
fluoride? A calcium ion has a charge of 2+. A fluoride ion has a
charge of 1−. The charge 1- does not balance 2+. You need to
have two fluoride ions for every calcium ion to balance the
charges. The formula for the neutral compound calcium fluoride,
CaF2, shows exactly that. There is one calcium ion and two
fluoride ions in the compound.
Aluminum oxide Sometimes you need to use math skills to write
a formula correctly. In the compound aluminum oxide, there are APPLYING MATH
aluminum ions and oxygen ions. But, how many of each one? 5. Calculate What is the least
common multiple of 5 and 2?
From the periodic table, you can get the information about
aluminum and oxygen that you need to write the formula.
By its place on the periodic table, you can tell that aluminum
has an oxidation number of 3+. That means the aluminum ion
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has a charge of 3+. Oxygen has an oxidation number of 2-, so

its ion has a charge of 2-. You must find the least common
multiple of 3 and 2 to balance the charges. The least common
multiple of 3 and 2 is 6.
Multiply 3+ by 2 to equal 6+. You need two aluminum ions to
have a charge of 6+. Multiply 2- by 3 to equal 6-. You need
three oxygen ions to have a charge of 6-. The charges balance.
The correct formula for the neutral compound aluminum oxide
is Al2O3.

Writing formulas
You learned how to use the oxidation number to find the charge
on an ion. You also learned that the charges on the ions must
balance to form a neutral compound. Now you can write formulas
for ionic compounds. Follow rules 1, 2, and 3 on the next page.
Reading Essentials • Chemical Bonds
297
 You have learned how to find oxidation numbers and their least
common multiples. Now you can write formulas for ionic
compounds. What is the formula for an ionic compound
containing sodium and oxygen? Use these rules to figure it out:
1. Write the symbol of the element that has the positive
oxidation number or charge. Sodium is a Group 1
element. It has an oxidation number of 1+.
2. Write the symbol of the element with the negative
oxidation number or charge. Except for hydrogen, all
nonmetals have negative oxidation numbers. Oxygen has
an oxidation number of 2-.
3. The compound should be neutral. To make it neutral, the
positive charges have to balance the negative charges. It
takes two sodium ions to balance one oxygen ion. Thus,
the formula becomes Na2O.
THINK IT OVER Now use these rules to write the formula for lithium nitride.
6. Apply Write the formula for Lithium and nitrogen are the two atoms that make this
calcium chloride. Use the compound. Look at the periodic table in the back of this book.
periodic table to identify the
positive and negative ions. Lithium is in Group 1, so it forms ions with a 1+ charge. Write
the symbol for lithium, Li, first.
Find the oxidation number of nitrogen. Nitrogen is in Group
15. It forms ions with a charge of 3-. You now can write LiN. Can
you stop now? Look at the charges of the two ions. Do 1+ and
3- balance? No, you cannot stop yet.
Use the number of the charge of a nitrogen ion as the subscript
for Li. Use the number of the charge of a lithium ion as the
subscript for N. That gives Li3N. When an element has no
subscript, it means only one ion is in the compound. Do 3(1+)
and 3- balance? Yes, this is the correct formula.

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Naming
Name binary ionic compounds with these rules:
1. Write the name of the positive ion.
2. Look to see if the positive ion is listed in the Special Ions
table earlier in this lesson. If it is not in the table, go
right to Step 3. If it is, the ion can have more than one
oxidation number. To find the correct oxidation number,
look at the formula of the compound. The charge of the
compound is always zero. The negative ion can only have
one possible charge. From the table, pick the charge of
the positive ion that balances the negative charge. Write
that positive ion’s symbol along with the correct roman
numeral in parentheses.

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298
 3. Write the root name of the negative ion. The root is the
first part of the element’s name. For example, the root
name of chlorine is chlor-. The root name of oxygen is ox-.
4. Add the ending -ide to the root name. For example, oxygen
becomes oxide. THINK IT OVER
7. Determine What is the root
Do not use subscripts in the name of an ionic compound. name of phosphorus?
Subscripts can be used in the formula to figure out the charge on
a metal ion with more than one positive charge.

Elements in Binary Compounds

Element -ide Name
Oxygen oxide
Phosphorus phosphide
Nitrogen nitride
Sulfur sulfide

Use these rules to write the name of the compound CuCl. Find
the name of the positive ion on the periodic table. Cu is the
symbol for copper. Is copper in the Special Ions table? Yes, and
the copper ion can have a 1+ or a 2+ charge. To find the charge
on the copper in CuCl, look at the negative ion. Cl is the symbol
for chlorine. Chlorine is in Group 17 of the periodic table. That
means it has an oxidation number of 1-. From the formula, you
can see that there is only one chloride ion in the compound. To
balance a 1- charge on the chloride ion, the copper ion must
have a 1+ charge. Now you can write copper(I) as the first part of
the name. THINK IT OVER
Write the root name of the negative ion. The root name for 8. Apply Write the name of
the compound FeI2.
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chlorine is chlor-. Add -ide to the root. That gives you chloride. The
correct name of CuCl is copper(I) chloride.

Compounds with Complex Ions

Not all ionic compounds are binary compounds. The formula
for baking soda used in cooking is NaHCO3. Baking soda is an
ionic compound that is not binary. Compounds like baking soda
are made of more than two elements. These compounds have
polyatomic ions. A polyatomic ion is a charged group of atoms
that are bonded together by a covalent bond. The prefix poly-
means “many” and polyatomic means “many atoms.” The
polyatomic ion in baking soda is the bicarbonate or hydrogen
carbonate ion. The symbol of this polyatomic ion is HCO3-.

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299
PICTURE THIS Polyatomic Ions
9. Identify Use the table to
Charge Name Formula
determine which elements
make up the acetate ion. 1+ ammonium NH4+
1- acetate C2H3O2-
chlorate ClO3-
hydroxide OH-
nitrate NO3-
2- carbonate CO32-
sulfate SO42−
3- phosphate PO43-

Writing formulas
APPLYING MATH To write the formula for a compound with a polyatomic ion,
10. Determine How many use the rules for writing the formula of a binary compound, but
ions with a charge of 2+ add one more step. If you need to show more than one
does it take to balance the
charge on one ion with a polyatomic ion, put parentheses around the formula for the ion
charge of 4-? before you write the subscript.
Write the formula for barium chlorate. First, write the symbol
of the positive ion. The symbol for barium is Ba. Barium is in
Group 2, so it forms a 2+ ion.
Now write the formula for the negative ion. The Polyatomic
Ions table on the previous page shows you the formula for the
chlorate ion is ClO-. Are the charges on these two ions balanced?
No, 2+ does not balance 1-. It takes two chlorate ions to balance
the 2+ charge on the barium ion. The formula for barium
chlorate is Ba(ClO3)2.

Naming
To write the name of a compound with a polyatomic ion, first

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write the name of the positive ion. If the positive ion is
Get It? polyatomic, use the table above to find its name.
11. Determine What is the Next, write the name of the negative ion. Again, if it is
name of Na2CO3? polyatomic, look up its name in the table. What is the name of
the compound K2SO4? K is the symbol of the positive ion. It is
not polyatomic. K is the symbol for potassium. The negative ion
is SO42-. It is polyatomic. Use the table again. K2SO4 is
potassium sulfate.

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300
 Now try naming the compound Sr(OH)2. You can see that the
positive ion is not polyatomic. Find the name for the symbol Sr
on the periodic table. It is strontium. The negative ion is
polyatomic. From the table of polyatomic ions, you can see that
OH- is named the hydroxide ion. The name of Sr(OH)2 is
strontium hydroxide.

Naming Binary Covalent Compounds

Covalent compounds form between elements that are
nonmetals. Some nonmetals can form many compounds. For
example, nitrogen and oxygen can form N2O, NO, NO2, and
N2O5. Using the rules you learned earlier, all these compounds
would be called nitrogen oxide. Now you will learn how to give
each of these compounds a different name.

Using prefixes
The table below lists some Greek prefixes used to name
covalent compounds made with the same elements. These
prefixes tell how many atoms of each element are in a compound.
For example, the compound NO2 is nitrogen dioxide. The prefix
di- tells you that there are two oxygen atoms in the compound.
The name of the compound N2O5 is dinitrogen pentoxide.
This name uses two prefixes. There are two nitrogen atoms, so
dinitrogen is used. There are also five oxygen atoms, so pentoxide
is used.
Drop the last vowel of the prefix when the second element of
the compound begins with a vowel. In pentoxide, the a is Get It?
dropped from penta-. 12. Write the name of the
There is a prefix to use when a compound has only one atom of compound S2O3.
an element. The prefix is mono-. The prefix mono- is not used in
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the name of the first element of a compound. For example, CO is

carbon monoxide, not monocarbon monoxide.

Prefixes for Covalent Compounds PICTURE THIS

Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13. Use Numbers What does
of Atoms the prefix tetra- mean?

Prefix mono- di- tri- tetra- penta- hexa- hepta- octa-

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301
 Compounds with Added Water
Some ionic compounds have water molecules as part of their
structure. A hydrate is a compound that has water chemically
attached to its ions and written into its formula. The word hydrate
comes from a word that means “water.”
When a solution of cobalt chloride evaporates, pink crystals
form. The crystals have six water molecules for each unit of cobalt
chloride. The formula for this compound is CoCl2 • 6H2O. The
compound’s name is cobalt chloride hexahydrate. The prefix hexa-
means “six,” so hexahydrate means “six waters.”
You can remove water from these crystals by heating them. The
blue compound that results from heating contains no water. It is
called anhydrous, meaning “without water.” When anhydrous
CoCl2 is exposed to water, even water in the air, it absorbs water
and becomes pink again.
To write a formula for a hydrate, first write the formula for the
compound. Then make a dot followed by the number of water
molecules. The dot stands for the ratio of formula unit to water
molecules. For example, the formula for calcium sulfate dihydrate
THINK IT OVER
14. Analyze What is the ratio
is CaSO4 • 2H2O, meaning that for each formula unit of calcium
of lithium ions to water sulfate, there are two water molecules.
molecules in the hydrate
LiNO2 • H2O? Common hydrates
The building material plaster of paris becomes a hydrate when
water is added. It becomes the hydrate calcium sulfate dihydrate,
CaSO4 • 2H2O, which is also known as gypsum. When the water
is first added to the anhydous compound a pourable mixture is
formed. The mixture can be poured into a mold. It quickly sets
and hardens as the water added to the powder becomes part of
the compound.

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Another common hydrate is magnesium sulfate heptahydrate,
MgSO4 • 7H2O. This hydrate is also called Epsom salt. Some
people add Epsom salt to their bathwater.

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