Ionic Compounds and Writing Their Formulas

Labeling Ionic Compounds and Writing Their Formulas 

Chapter 5 discusses the way that anions (atoms with negative chcirge) and cations (atoms with positive charge) attract one another to form ionic bonds. Ionic bonds hold together ionic compounds. The anions and cations in a given ionic compound are important factors in how you name that compound. 

Nciming a simple ionic compound is easy. You pair the name of the cation with the neune of the anion and then change the ending of the anion s ncime to -ide. The cation always precedes the anion in the final name. For example, the chemical name of NaCl (a compound made up of one sodium atom and one chlorine atom) is sodium chloride. 

Of course, sodium chloride is more commonly known as table salt. Many compounds have such so-called common names. Common ncimes aren t wrong, but they re less informative than chemical ncimes. The name sodium chloride, properly decoded, tells you that you re dealing with a one-to-one ionic compound composed of sodium and chlorine. The ncime table salt just tells you one possible (albeit tasty) use for the compound. 

Cations and anions combine in very predictable ways within ionic compounds, always acting to neutralize overall charge. Therefore, the name of an ionic compound implies more than just the identity of the atoms that make it up. It also helps you determine the correct chemical formula, which tells you the ratio in which the elements combine. Consider these two examples, both of which involve lithium  

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