NAMING AND WRITING

CHEMICAL FORMULA

ROMINA D. MEDIANA
General Chemistry 1
 LEARNING CHECK

An atom has 14 protons and 20 neutrons.

A. Its atomic number is
1) 14 2) 16 3)
34
B. Its mass number is
1) 14 2) 16 3)
34
C. The element is
1) Si 2) Ca 3) Se

D. Another isotope of this element is

1) 34X 2) 34X 3) X
36
16 14 14
 LEARNING CHECK – COUNTING

State the number of protons, neutrons, and

electrons in each of these ions.
39
K+ 16
O -2 41
Ca +2

19 8 20

#p+ ______ ______ _______

#no ______ ______ _______
#e- ______ ______ _______
 ONE LAST LEARNING CHECK
Write the nuclear symbol form for the following atoms or
ions:

A. 8 p+, 8 n, 8 e- ___________

B.17p+, 20n, 17e- ___________

C. 47p+, 60 n, 46 e- ___________
 TYPES OF FORMULAS
• Empirical formulas give the lowest whole-number
ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.
• Molecular formulas give the exact number of atoms
of each element in a compound.

Example: ethane:

Empirical formula: CH3

Molecular formula: C2H6
TYPES OF FORMULAS
• Structural formulas show
the order in which atoms
are bonded.
• Perspective drawings also
show the three-
dimensional array of
atoms in a compound.
MOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
Molecular compounds
are composed of
molecules and almost
always contain only
nonmetals.
A MOLECULE IS THE SMALLEST UNIT OF A
COMPOUND THAT RETAINS THE CHEMICAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COMPOUND.

Composition of molecules is given by a MOLECULAR

FORMULA
H2O C8H10N4O2 - caffeine
 IONS
• IONS are atoms or groups of atoms with a
positive or negative charge.
• Taking away an electron from an atom gives
a CATION with a positive charge
• Adding an electron to an atom gives an
ANION with a negative charge.
• To tell the difference between an atom and
an ion, look to see if there is a charge in the
superscript! Examples: Na+ Ca+2 I- O-2
Na Ca I O
 FORMING
FORMING CATIONS
CATIONS &
& ANIONS
ANIONS
A CATION forms An ANION forms
when an atom when an atom
loses one or gains one or
more electrons. more electrons

Mg --> Mg + 2 e-
2+ F + e- --> F-
 IONIC COMPOUNDS
• A metal will give up electrons to a
nonmetal forming a cation (+) (the
metal), and an anion (-) (the nonmetal).

Mg + Cl2 Mg2++2Cl- MgCl2

Note, everybody gains or loses electrons to be like the

nearest noble gas.

Compounds are always electrically neutral!!

What elements do ionic compounds
contain?
Ionic compounds contain a
metal and a nonmetal.
Nonmet
als
Metals
 PREDICTING
PREDICTING ION
ION CHARGES
CHARGES

In general:

• metals (Mg) lose electrons ---> cations

• nonmetals (F) gain electrons ---> anions
 Chemical reactions occur when atoms
gain, lose, or share electrons.
Metals Nonmetals

gain / accept electrons.

Nonmetals _____________
This gives them a ____ charge.
_
anions
Negative ions are called ___________.
Metals ________________
lose / donate electrons.
+ charge.
This gives them a ____
cations
Positive ions are called ___________.
 Remember that the charge of an ion can be
determined by its place on the Periodic Table.

+1 +4 0
or
+2 +3 -4 -3 -2 -1

Look for the Roman Numeral!

 For each elements on your notes,
predict the charge of its most
common ion using the periodic table.

- 0 + + - 0
+3 + -1
2 -2
2 +1 -
-2
1 +2 -3 + -1 10
- 1 1 1
WRITING COMPOUNDS
You can also determine the formula of an ionic
compound from its name. To do this, you will need to
use what you already know about the Periodic Table.

magnesium iodide

Mg +2 I -
MgI2
Step 1: Write the symbol of the metal ion.
Step 2: Write the symbol of the nonmetal ion.
Step 3: Determine the charges using the periodic table.
Step 4: Determine the formula from the ions.
This is just as easy to do with polyatomic ions. You just
need to use the name of the polyatomic ion.

strontium nitrate

Sr +2 NO3-
Sr(NO3)2
Step 1: Write the symbol of the metal ion.
Step 2: Write the formula of the polyatomic ion.
Step 3: Determine the charges using the periodic table
and the table of polyatomic ions.
Step 4: Determine the formula from the ions.
Be very careful that you do not mix up the names
of ions. This is very common for beginners to
naming.
Decide which name goes with each ion.
nitrate
N -3
nitride NO3 -

sulfide
S -2
sulfite SO3 -2

phosphate
P -3
phosphide PO4 -3
 Remember that the names of transition
metals include their charge because their
charges are less predictable.
What are the charges of the transition
metals below:
+2
Iron (II) _______ Iron (III) _______+3
+2
Copper (II) _______ +1
Copper (I) _______
+4
Tin (IV) _______ Tin (II) _______+2
+2
Lead (II) _______ Lead (IV) _______+4
We know they are positive because
metals are always positive.
The charges of the transition metals are important when
you are determining the formula of an ionic compound.
iron (III) oxide

Fe +3 O -2
Fe2O3
Step 1: Write the symbol of the cation.
Step 2: Write the symbol of the anion.
Step 3: Determine the charges using the periodic table
and the roman numerals.
Step 4: Determine the formula from the ions.
Helpful Hint:
If the ion ends in –ide, it is
probably from the periodic
table. If the ion ends in –ate
or –ite, it is a polyatomic ion.
Examples:
sulfate sulfide sulfite

SO4 -2
S -2
SO3 -2

nitride nitrite nitrate

N -3
NO2 -
NO3 -
Write the formula of each of the ionic
compounds named on your notes.

KI
SnCl
4BaS
ONaCl
SrS
CuCO
AlBr
Li3N 3
NAMING COMPOUNDS
 Rules for Naming Ions

When metals lose electrons they become ions,

but their name does not change.

Na Na + e
+ -

sodium sodium electron

Mg Mg + 2e
+2 -

magnesium magnesium 2 electrons

 Rules for Naming Ions

When nonmetals gain electrons they become

ions, and their name does change.

F + e -
F -

fluorine electron fluoride

S + 2e -
S -2

sulfur 2 electrons sulfide

 Rules for Naming Ions
1. The names of metals do not change.
2. Changing the name of nonmetals:
root of element name + -ide = name of ion

Examples:
The name of chlorine’s ion:
chlor- + -ide = chloride
The name of nitrogen’s ion:
nitr- + -ide = nitride
Examples of naming ions:
The name of calcium’s ion:
calcium
(The names of metals don’t change!)
The name of oxygen’s ion:
ox- + -ide = oxide
The name of aluminum’s ion:
aluminum
(The names of metals don’t change!)
Write the name of each of the
ions on your notes.
sulfide lithium
nitride bromide
potassiu chloride
m hydrogen (+), hydride
oxide
(-)
There are also ions that form after elements
have shared electrons. These ions are known
as polyatomic ions, and each polyatomic ion
already has a name.
 Write the name of each of the
polyatomic ions on your notes using
your reference sheet as a guide.
sulfate carbonate
permanganat sulfite
e
hydroxide nitrate
Steps for Naming Ionic Compounds

CaBr2
calcium bromide

Step 1: Write the name of the metal ion.

Step 2: Write the name of the nonmetal ion.
Step 3: YOU ARE DONE! It is that easy.
Steps for Naming Ionic Compounds

MgCl2
magnesium chloride

Step 1: Write the name of the metal ion.

Step 2: Write the name of the nonmetal ion.
Remember that we change the name of
nonmetal ions to –ide.

YOU ARE DONE! It is that easy.

 1. NaF 2. MgO
sodium fluoride magnesium oxide

3. SrCl2 4. Li2S
strontium chloride lithium sulfide

5. CaO 6. KI
calcium oxide potassium iodide
 When polyatomic ions are used, simply use
the name of the polyatomic ion in the
compound.

1. NH4F 2. CaSO4
ammonium fluoride calcium sulfate

3. Mg(NO3)2 4. NaOH
magnesium nitrate sodium hydroxide
Name the ionic compounds that
are found on your notes.
calcium chloride
potassium sulfide
potassium permanganate
barium oxide
ammonium chloride
cesium chloride
magnesium sulfate
sodium bromide
aluminum phosphide
Naming Binary Covalent
Compounds
 Determining if a compound is
ionic or covalent is easy.
What elements do covalent compounds
contain?
Covalent compounds
contain only nonmetals.

What elements do ionic compounds contain?

Ionic compounds
contain a metal and
a nonmetal.
 shared
electrons
Nonmetals

Chemical reactions occur when atoms gain,

lose, or share electrons.
Sharing electrons creates a covalent bond
Nonmetals can _______
share electrons to
form a covalent bond.
molecule
This creates a ___________.
What elements do covalent
compounds contain?
Covalent compounds contain
only nonmetals.

Nonmetal
s
Decide whether the compounds on
your notes are ionic or covalent.

C C I
I C I
Decide whether the compounds on
your notes are ionic or covalent.

I C I I
C C I I
I C C I
 Important Facts:
Because hydrogen only has 1 proton and 1 electron,
it behaves differently than any other element on the
periodic table of elements.
Hydrogen can
donate its 1
H+ electron. H
Hydrogen can 2
share
Hydrogen can
electrons.
gain 1
H- electron.

This means that hydrogen can act as either a

metal or a nonmetal!
 There are 7 elements that exist in nature
as diatomic molecules.
What elements exist as diatomic molecules?
H2, N2, O2, F2, Cl2, Br2, I2
There are millions of covalent compounds. These
can be classified into many different types of
compounds. Each type of compound has a different
set of rules for naming. You will be learning about
the easiest type of covalent compound to name:

Binary Covalent Compounds

What does binary mean?
Binary covalent compounds are
between 2 different nonmetals.
Nonmetals can share electrons in many different
ways. This means that two nonmetals can create
multiple compounds together.
carbon and oxygen phosphorous and chlorine

CO CO2 PCl3 PCl5

nitrogen and oxygen

N2O4 N2O3
Each of these contains a different ratio of elements.
Because of this, we have to make sure that the name
of the compound explains the correct ratio.
 To show the
correct ratio of
elements, we
use prefixes.
 Steps for Naming
Binary Covalent Compounds
N2O4
dinitrogen
nitrogen tetroxide
oxide

Step 1: Write the name of the first nonmetal.

Step 2: Write the name of the second
nonmetal changing its ending to -ide.
Step 3: Add prefixes to specify how many of
each element are present.
Steps for Naming Covalent Compounds

P2S4
phosphorous tetrasulfide
diphosphorous sulfide

Step 1: Write the name of the first nonmetal.

Step 2: Write the name of the second
nonmetal changing its ending to -ide.
Step 3: Add prefixes to specify how many of
each element are present.
 Rules for Using Prefixes with
Covalent Compounds
Rule 1: Prefixes are only for COVALENT compounds.
Rule 2: The prefix mono- is never used on the first
element of a binary covalent compound. Without a
prefix it is assumed that there is only 1.
Example: PCl3 is phosphorous trichloride, and
not monophosphorous trichloride.
Rule 3: Remove the -o or -a from a prefix before
adding it to oxide.
Example: N2O4 is nitrogen tetroxide,
and not nitrogen tetraoxide.
Example: CO2 is carbon dioxide, and not
monocarbon dioxide.

Example: CO is carbon monoxide, and not

carbon monooxide.
 How would you write each of
the prefixes in front of oxide?
Remember: Remove the -o or -a from a prefix
before adding it to oxide. Leave -i alone.

mono- ____________
monoxide di- ____________
dioxide
trioxide
tri- ____________ tetroxide
tetra- ____________
pentoxide
penta- ____________ hexa- ____________
hexoxide
hepta- ____________
heptoxide octoxide
octa- ____________
nona- ____________
nonoxide deca- ____________
decoxide
Name the binary covalent compounds
that are found on your notes.
carbon dioxide
carbon disulfide
phosphorous
phosphorous
tribromide
pentabromide
diphosphorous
dinitrogen
pentasulfide
silicon disulfide
monosulfide
nitrogen
dinitrogen tetrachloride
tribromide
 Because of the prefixes, it is very
easy to go from the name of a binary
covalent compound to its formula.
dinitrogen tetrafluoride

N2 F4
Step 1: Write the symbol of the first nonmetal and
the subscript that matches the prefix.
Step 2: Write the symbol of the second nonmetal
and the subscript that matches the prefix.
 Write the formulas of the binary
covalent compounds in your notes.

CCl4 IF7
PCl5 N2O4
N2O PCl3
CS CO
BH3 ICl
S2Br6 S4N4
SiS2 H2O
PI3 ClF5
NCl3 NO2
Once you decide if a compound is ionic
or covalent you know whether or not
to use prefixes.
Only COVALENT COMPOUNDS
use PREFIXES!
Do NOT make the mistake of using prefixes
with ionic compounds. You will be forced to
decide between answer choices with and
without prefixes on your exam. Know the
difference!
 Steps for Naming a Compound
Step 1: Decide if the compound is ionic or
covalent.
Step 2: Write the name of the first element as
it appears on the periodic table, change the
name of the second element to end with -ide.
Ionic compounds are finished at this point.
Step 3: If, and only if, the compound is covalent,
add prefixes.
 Remember, if polyatomic ions appear in an
ionic compound, simply use the name of
the ion as it appears in the table of
polyatomic ions.

1. NH4Cl 2. MgSO3
ammonium chloride magnesium sulfite

3. Ca(NO2)2 4. KOH
calcium nitrite potassium hydroxide
Write the names of the compounds
that appear on your notes.
carbon
carbon
tetrabromide
monosulfide
sodium permanganate
strontium iodide
potassium sulfate
dinitrogen
tetrasulfide
magnesium nitrate
silicon
tetrachloride
diphosphorous
 Determining the Formula of an Ionic
Compound from Its Name
potassium sulfide

K + S -2
K 2S
Step 1: Write the symbol of the metal ion.
Step 2: Write the symbol of the nonmetal ion.
Step 3: Determine the charges using the periodic table.
Step 4: Determine the formula from the ions.
This is just as easy to do with polyatomic ions. You just
need to use the table of polyatomic ions found on the
naming compounds reference sheet.
barium sulfate
The charges are
Ba +2 SO4-2 the same, so
they cancel!
BaSO4
Step 1: Write the symbol of the metal ion.
Step 2: Write the formula of the polyatomic ion.
Step 3: Determine the charges using the periodic table
and the table of polyatomic ions.
Step 4: Determine the formula from the ions.
Be very careful that you do not mix up the names
of ions. This is very common for beginners to
naming.
Decide which name goes with each ion.

sulfide
S -2
sulfate SO4 -2

phosphate
P phosphide
-3
PO4 -3

nitrite
N -3
nitride NO2 -
The charges of the transition metals are important when
you are determining the formula of an ionic compound.
copper (II) nitrate

Cu +2 NO3-
Cu(NO3)2
Step 1: Write the symbol of the metal ion.
Step 2: Write the symbol of the polyatomic ion.
Step 3: Determine the charges using the periodic table,
polyatomic ions table, or the roman numerals.
Step 4: Determine the formula from the ions.
 Because of the prefixes, it is very
easy to go from the name of a binary
covalent compound to its formula.
dihydrogen monoxide

H2 O
Step 1: Write the symbol of the first nonmetal and
the subscript that matches the prefix.
Step 2: Write the symbol of the second nonmetal
and the subscript that matches the prefix.
Remember: The prefix mono- is never
used on the first element of a binary
covalent compound. Without a prefix it
is assumed that there is only 1.

Example: carbon dioxide

CO2
 CHEMICAL
NOMENCLATURE
onic Compounds (Hydrated salts)
• Hydrated salts are ionic compounds that
have a specific number of water molecules
attached to them
• The name of the hydrate consists of the
name of the salt followed by the prefix
that denotes the number of water
molecules in the compound and the term
“hydrate”
Ex: CuSO4●5H2O = copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate
BaCl2●2H2O = barium chloride dihydrate
 CHEMICAL NOMENCLATURE
When the anion ends in “ide” such as Cl-, I-, S2-, etc. Its name consists of
the prefix “hydro” connected to the root word of the anion with the suffix
“ic” and the word “acid”.
Note: Sulfur and Phosphorus are the exemptions to this rule where sulfur
and phosphor will be used as root words.
General Formula: “hydro” root word “ic” acid
 CHEMICAL NOMENCLATURE
When the anion ends in “ide” such as Cl-, I-, S2-, etc.
Its name consists of the prefix “hydro” connected to
the root word of the anion with the suffix “ic” and
the word “acid”.
Note: Sulfur and Phosphorus are the exemptions to
this rule where sulfur and phosphor will be used as
root words.
General Formula: “hydro” root word “ic”
acid
 CHEMICAL NOMENCLATURE
When the anion ends with “ate” such
as ClO3- and ClO4-, etc. The acid is
named by replacing the suffix with “ic”
and the word “acid”.
General Formula: root word “ic”
acid
Corresponding Corresponding
Name of Anion
Formula of the Acid Formula of the Acid

chlorate, ClO3- HClO3 chloric acid

perchlorate, ClO4- HClO4 perchloric acid

 CHEMICAL NOMENCLATURE
When the anion ends in “ite” such as
ClO-, ClO2-, etc. Its name consists of the
suffix “ous” is used followed by the word
“acid”.

General Formula: root word “ous”

acid
Corresponding Corresponding
Name of Anion
Formula of the Acid Formula of the Acid

hypochlorite, ClO- HClO hypochlorous acid

chlorite, ClO2- HClO2 chlorous acid
Remember that the names of
transition metals include their
charge because their charges
are less predictable.
d-
What are the charges of the block
transition metals below:

+4
Tin (IV) _______ Tin (II) _______+2
+2
Lead (II) _______ Lead (IV) _______+4
+2
Iron (II) _______ Iron (III) _______+3
+2
Copper (II) _______ +1
Copper (I) _______
We know they are positive because
metals are always positive.
The TRANSITION METALS may form more than one ion, thus it is
needed to be specified which particular ion we are talking about. This is
indicated by assigning a Roman numeral after the metal. The Roman
numeral denotes the charge and the oxidation state of the transition
metal ion. For example, iron can form two common ions, Fe 2+ and Fe3+.
To distinguish the difference, Fe2+ would be named iron (II) and
Fe3+ would be named iron (III).
Table of Transition Metal and
Metal Cations:

+1 Charge +2 Charge +3 Charge +4 Charge

Copper(I): Cu+ Copper(II): Cu2+ Aluminum: Al3+ Lead(IV): Pb4+

Silver: Ag+ Iron(II): Fe2+ Iron(III): Fe3+ Tin(IV): Sn4+

Cobalt(II): Co2+ Cobalt(III): Co3+

Tin(II): Sn2+

Lead(II): Pb2+

Nickel: Ni2+

Zinc: Zn2+
STOCK METHOD:

Ions: Fe2+ + + 2Cl- Fe3+++ 3Cl-

Compound: FeCl2 FeCl3

Example 2

Nomenclature Iron (II) Chloride Iron (III) Chloride

However, some of the transition metals' charges have specific Latin
names. Just like the other nomenclature rules, the ion of the transition
metal that has the lower charge has the Latin name ending with -
ous and the one with the the higher charge has a Latin name ending
with -ic. The most common ones are shown in the table below:

Transition Metal Ion with Roman Latin name

Numeral
Copper (I): Cu+ Cuprous

Copper (II): Cu2+ Cupric

Iron (II): Fe2+ Ferrous

Iron (III): Fe3+ Ferric

Lead (II): Pb2+ Plumbous

Lead (IV): Pb4+ Plumbic

Mercury (I): Hg22+ Mercurous

Mercury (II): Hg2+ Mercuric

Tin (II): Sn2+ Stannous

Tin (IV): Sn4+ Stannic

OLD SYSTEM: Several exceptions apply to the Roman numeral
assignment: Aluminum, Zinc, and Silver. Although they belong to the
transition metal category, these metals do not have Roman numerals
written after their names because these metals only exist in one ion.
Instead of using Roman numerals, the different ions can also be
presented in plain words. The metal is changed to end in –ous or –ic.
•-ous ending is used for the lower oxidation state
•-ic ending is used for the higher oxidation state
Compound Cu2O CuO FeCl2 FeCl3

Charge Charge of Charge of Charge of iron is Charge of iron is

copper is +1 copper is +2 +2 +3

Nomenclature Cuprous Oxide Cupric Oxide Ferrous Chloride Ferric Chloride

However, this -ous/-ic system is inadequate in some cases, so the

Roman numeral system is preferred. This system is used commonly in
naming acids, where H2SO4 is commonly known as Sulfuric Acid, and
H2SO3 is known as Sulfurous Acid.
Binary Acids
Although HF can be named hydrogen fluoride, it is given a different
name for emphasis that it is an acid. An acid is a substance that
dissociates into hydrogen ions (H+) and anions in water. A quick way to
identify acids is to see if there is an H (denoting hydrogen) in front of
the molecular formula of the compound. To name acids, the
prefix hydro- is placed in front of the nonmetal modified to end with –
ic. The state of acids is aqueous (aq) because acids are found in water.
Some common binary acids include:

HF (g) = hydrogen fluoride -> HF (aq) = hydrofluoric acid

HBr (g) = hydrogen bromide -> HBr (aq) = hydrobromic acid
HCl (g) = hydrogen chloride -> HCl (aq) = hydrochloric acid
H2S (g) = hydrogen sulfide -> H2S (aq) = hydrosulfuricacid

It is important to include (aq) after the acids because the same

compounds can be written in gas phase with hydrogen named first
followed by the anion ending with –ide.
 Write the formulas of the
compounds that appear on your
notes based on their names.
HCl
BaF
SnS
2
N2O
CS2
S2Cl
Na
6 3 PO 4
PtCl
No
Formula Chemical Name
.
1. AlPO3 Aluminum Phospite
2. LiOH Lithium Hydroxide
Stannic Hydroxide / Tin (IV)
3. Sn(OH)4
Hydroxide
4. CaCl2 Calcium Chloride
5. HSCN Thiocyanic acid
6. PbS2 Plumbic Sulfide/ Lead (IV) Sulfide

7. Na2HPO4 Sodium Biphosphate

Cobaltous Chloride Hexahydrate/
8. CoCl2•6H2O
Cobalt (II) Chloride Hexahydrate
CHEMICAL
NOMENCLATURE
Aluminum Al3+ Hydrogen H+
Ammonium NH4+ Ferrous/iron (II) Fe2+
Antimony (III) Sb3+ Ferric/iron (III) Fe3+
Antimony (V) Sb5+ Plumbous/lead (II)• Pb2+
Cations
Arsenic (III) As3+ Plumbic/lead (IV) Pb4+
Arsenic (V) As5+ Magnesium Mg2+
Barium Ba2+ Manganous/manganese Mn2+
Bismuth (III) Bi3+ (II) Mn3+
Bismuth (V) Bi5+ Manganic/manganese Hg22+
Cadmium Cd2+ (III) Hg2+
Calcium Ca2+ Mercurous/mercury (I) Ni2+
Cesium Cs+ Mercuric/mercury (II) Ni4+
Chromous/chromium Cr2+ Nickelous/nickel (II) Pt3+
(II) Cr3+ Nickelic/nickel (IV) K+
Chromic/chromium Co2+ Platinum Si4+
(III) Co3+ Potassium Ag+
Cobaltous/cobalt (II) Cu+ Silicon Na+
Cobaltic/cobalt (III) Cu2+ Silver Sr2+
Cuprous/copper (I) Ti3+ Sodium Sn2+
Cupric/copper (II) Ti4+ Strontium Sn4+
Titanous/titanium Au3+ Stannous/tin (II) Zn2+
(III) Stannic/tin (IV)