16 Naming Ionic Compounds S PDF
16 Naming Ionic Compounds S PDF
16 Naming Ionic Compounds S PDF
What are the structural units that make up ionic compounds and how are they named?
Why?
When working in chemistry, it is often convenient to write a chemical in symbols. For example we might
write down the substance table salt as NaCl. In talking about chemistry however, it is a bit tacky to say
“en-ay see-ell” when we want to refer to a substance. Also, in formal writing we should use the name of
the compound rather than its symbols. Therefore we need to learn how to say the proper names of ionic
substances.
d. In what region of the periodic table are these “multiple ion” elements usually located?
2. Consider the ions of potassium (K) and sulfur (S). Write chemical formulas for all possible ionic
compounds involving these ions, using the simplest ratio(s) of potassium (K) and sulfur (S).
Keep in mind that the sum of the charges in an ionic compound must equal zero.
3. Consider the ions of iron (Fe) and sulfur (S). Write chemical formulas for all possible ionic com-
pounds involving these ions, using the simplest ratio(s) of iron (Fe) and sulfur (S). Keep in mind
that the sum of the charges in an ionic compound must equal zero.
b. In the compound zinc phosphide, what is the charge on the phosphide ion?
7. Explain why a 3 to 2 ratio of ions is necessary for the compound zinc phosphide.
8. The compound carbon dioxide has a name that gives you a hint as to how many oxygen atoms
are in the compound. Is there anything in the name “zinc phosphide” that indicates there are
three zinc and two phosphorus ions in the formula unit?
9. Is there any other ratio of zinc and phosphorus ions that could exist? For instance, could you
have Zn2P or ZnP2? Explain your answer.
10. Explain why you don’t need to specify the number of ions in the compound when you are nam-
ing ionic substances like those in Model 2.
11. Model 2 is labeled “Metals that form one ion.” What other metals that also form only one ion
could be included in the Model 2 list? Model 1 may be helpful in this regard.
12. Describe how the names of the nonmetal elements in Model 2 are changed when they are in
their anion forms.
13. Name the following ionic compounds using what you learned from Model 2.
Li2O MgF2 Al2S3 K3N
Read This!
When the metal in an ionic compound always forms an ion with the same charge, you need not indicate
that charge as part of the compound name. However, some atoms have the ability to form more than one
type of ion. This can make naming confusing. You can’t simply refer to a compound of copper and oxygen
as “copper oxide.” People won’t know which compound you are referring to—CuO or Cu2O.
16. Model 3 is labeled “Metals that form multiple ions.” What other metals that form multiple ions
could be included in Model 3? Model 1 may be helpful in this regard.
17. Describe the most obvious difference between the names in Model 3 and those in Model 2.
18. Do the Roman numerals in the names in Model 3 relate to the number of cations or number of
anions in the formula unit? Support your answer by citing two specific examples.
19. Keeping in mind that the sum of the charges in an ionic compound must equal zero, use the
chemical formulas in Model 3 to answer the following questions:
a. Identify the charge on the copper cations in copper(I) oxide and copper(II) oxide, respectively.
b. Identify the charge on the iron cations in iron(II) chloride and iron(III) chloride, respectively.
20. What do the Roman numerals in the compounds described in Question 19 indicate?
26. Examine the traditional ion names shown below for selected metals. Write a rule for using the
“-ous” and “-ic” endings for metal ions.
Cu2+ cupric Fe3+ ferric Sn4+ stannic Pb4+ plumbic
Cu1+ cuprous Fe2+ ferrous Sn2+ stannous Pb2+ plumbous
27. Complete the table and write the traditional name for each ionic compound.
Metal forms Metal forms
Name
only one ion multiple ions
CaBr2
MgO
Ag3N
SnCl2
CuF2
K3P
Zn3N2
HgO
aluminum bromide
stannic sulfide
iron(II) chloride
lithium oxide
plumbous oxide
29. Throughout this activity you have developed a process for naming an ionic compound when
given a formula. On a separate sheet of paper, create a flowchart of questions that you might ask
yourself when naming an ionic compound.