Names and Formulas of Chemical Compounds

We can probably assume that tbe parent who wrote this note meant the child was taken to the doctor for an injection, but who knows Like everyone else, chemists need to be careful about how they use language, and the names and formulas for chemical compounds form the core of the language of chemistry. The purpose of this section is to describe the guidelines for constructing the names for binary covalent compounds, which are pure substances that consist of two nonmetallic elements. The water, H2O, you boil to cook your eggs and the methane, CH4, in natural gas that can he burned to heat the water are examples of binary covalent compounds. 

The name of compounds whose molecules contain three or more elements, usually including oxygen, ends in the suffix ate. Thus the chemical name for limestone, whose chemical formula is CaC03, is calcium carbonate. That of green vitriol, also known as copperas, whose formula is FeS04, is iron sulfate. The names and formulas of some chemical compounds related to archaeological studies are listed in Table 7. 

The chemical compounds known as acids have their own special naming system, but writing the names and formulas of acids really isn t that big of a deal. As long as you pay attention to the details, you won t have any problem naming acidic compounds. You more than likely already know the names of several very common acids, though perhaps you don t know their formulas. Table 6-3 lists several of the most common acids and their formulas. (Flip to Chapter 16 for full details on acids.)... 

Throughout the book, as you would expect, there are formulae and structures of chemical compounds. You need not remember these but they are included to show the principles being covered. You are not expected to work out the names of these compounds or balance equations but after a while some might stick in your memory. 

Give the name and formula of an ionic compound involving only the elements in each pair that follows. Write Lewis symbols for the elements both before and after chemical combination. 

Atoms and Molecules 2-2 Chemical Formulas 2-3 Ions and Ionic Compounds 2-4 Names and Formulas of Some Ionic Compounds 2-5 Atomic Weights 2-6 The Mole... 

As we noted earlier, chemists have established different sets of rules for writing the names and formulas of different types of chemical compounds, so the first step in writing a name from a chemical formula is to decide what type of compound the formula represents. A chemical formula for an ionic compound will have one of the following forms. 

Perhaps at this point you are feeling confused hy the many different conventions for naming different kinds of chemical compounds. Here is an overview of the guidelines for naming and writing formulas for all of the types of compounds descrihed in this chapter and in Chapter 3. 

The names and formulae of some of the psycholeptic compounds which cannot be classified in the major chemical categories so far considered are set out in Table 5.3. Meprobamate VIII) was one of the earliest used tranquillizers. It was developed from mephenesin VII), which was introduced as a muscle relaxant and was soon seen to have a sedative action too. In small doses, meprobamate is a sedative. In larger doses, it causes muscle relaxation and has been classed, with similar compounds, as a tranquillo-sedative . Like the barbiturates, it produces no sign of extrapyramidal or central autonomic stimulation. Well-authenticated reports of addiction to meprobamate have appeared . Both mephenesin and meprobamate produce muscle relaxation by inhibiting interneurones—and hence polysynaptic reflexes—in the spinal cord. Though not described as a hypnotic, meprobamate has been successfully used in the treatment of insomnia, perhaps because it reduces tension. 

Names and formulas of compounds form the vocabulary of the chemical language. In this discussion, you ll learn the names and formulas of ionic and simple covalent compounds and how to calculate the mass of a unit of a compound from its formula. 

To find information about a particular substance, you must know its chemical formula and name. The names and formulas of compounds are essential vocabulary in chemistry. The naming of substances is called chemical nomenclature from the Latin words nomm (name) and calare (to call). 

It s important that scientists communicate with each other. Communication requires that a standard vocabulary be adopted. In chemistry, part of that vocabulary is chemical nomenclature—the names and formulas of ions and compounds. In this chapter you will learn some of the rules chemists use to name substances and to write their formulas. Please realize that there are over 60 million known chemical compounds. There are always exceptions to the rules given in this chapter however, they are not ones with which you need to be concerned. 

The summary includes chemical or generic names, structural formulae of the compounds, and their main therapeutic or pharmacological properties. The arrows indicate sites of the described metabolic transformations. The abbreviations used are UP, unchanged parent compound (m), major metabolite ... 

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