Science & NatureNaming and Writing Chemical Formulas
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Offer advice on how to name and write chemical formulas

                 
 
 
Identify what you are working with
 
 









Is it an Ionic Compound? (Metal+NM)
NO
Is it a Molecular Compound? (NM+NM)
NO
Is it an Acid? (Contains an H at beginning of formula, or is Created through reactions with a nonmetal oxide + Water)
NO
 
Is it a hydrate? (Contains H20 after the ionic compound)

YES


YES


YES




YES
Keep the name of the Metal, and change the nonmetal ending to -ide When writing make sure to criss cross the charges of the elements
Remove the ending and add -ide at the end of the second element Do not criss cross charges when writing just use the amount given by the suffixes
Check to see the endings of the second element, Look to see -ide, -ite. -ate When writing make sure to always use Hydrogen in the beginning
 
Use numerical prefix followed by -hydrate When writing including H20 always









Result: You should end up with answers similar to this AlO- Aluminum Oxide Or BaN-Barium Nitride (Charges cancel for both)
Does the first element contain more than 1 of itself?
Does the second element or polyatomic ion end in -ide?
 
Result: You should end up with answers like Copper sulfate pentahydrate or CuSO4 * 5H20


YES

NO


YES

NO



Use prefix before the first and second element Ex. 1-Mono, 2-Di, 3-Tri, 4-Tetra, 5-Penta...
Use the Prefix before the Second Element Only Ex. 1-Mono, 2-Di, 3-Tri, 4-Tetra, 5-Penta...
For -ide, add hydro to the beginning and change -ide to -ic and add acid to the end
Does the second element or polyatomic ion end with -ite?
NO
Does the Second element or polyatomic ion end with -ate?







YES


YES
Result: You will end up naming elements like with Diphosphorus Pentoxide P2O5 or Dinitrogen tetrasulfide N2S4
Result:You will end up naming elements such as Sulfur Trioxide SO3, or Carbon Tetrachloride CCl4
Result: You should end up with names like Hydrochloric acid (Chloride changes to Chloric) HCL
For -ite, change the ending -ite to -ous and add acid at the end
For -ate, change the ending -ate to -ic and add acid at the end









NO
 
 
 
Result: You should end up with names like Hypochlorous acid, or HClO (ClO is Hypochlorite, a polyatomic ion)
Result: You should end up with names like Chloric acid , or HClO3 (ClO3 is chlorate, a polyatomic ion)