Lecture 3-4

Topic 2:
Atoms,
Molecules
and Ions
 • When a metal combines with a non-metal the
valence electrons of the combining atoms are
not shared

• In this case the valence electrons of the

metal are transferred to the valence shell
of the non-metal

• After losing the n electrons, the metal

Ionic Compounds atom becomes positively charged (now
has more protons than electrons) and the
non-metal, having gained the n
electrons, becomes negatively charged
(now has more electrons than protons)

• The respective charges acquired by the metal

and non-metal become n+ and n-,
respectively
 • The metal (M) is now a cation, Mn+ , while the
non-metal (X) has become an anion, Xn-

• The cation and anion are attracted to each other

by an electrostatic force of attraction since they
have opposite charges
Ionic
Compounds • They form a geometric array of ions called a
crystal lattice.
 • The formation of the crystal lattice from the
attraction of the ions can be generally
represented as below, where n usually
ranges from 1 to 3;

• M n+ + Xn- → MX
Ionic
Compounds • (A familiar example is NaCl: Na+ + Cl- → NaCl)
 Conceptualization of the (stepwise) formation of an
ionic compound

• Formation of cations by loss of e-

e.g. When a Ca atom loses two electrons to form a

Ionic cation with a charge of 2+
Compounds Ca → Ca2+ + 2e-
(conventionally, not Ca - 2e- → Ca2+)

or Al loses three electrons to form a cation with charge

of 3+
Al → Al3+ + 3e-
 Conceptualization of the (stepwise) formation of an
ionic compound

• Formation of anions by gain of e-

Ionic
Compounds e.g. An oxygen and nitrogen atom, respectively gain
two and three electrons to produce anions with 2- and
3- , respectively

O + 2e- → O2-
N + 3e- → N3-
 SUMMARY

Process Ion produced

Ca → Ca2+ + 2e- Ca2+

Ionic
Al → Al3+ + 3e- Al3+
Compounds
N + 3e- → N3- N3-

O + 2e- → O2- O2-

 Ionic Compounds
Each one of the cations A helpful principle in determining
formed above can combine the formula of an ionic compound:
with either one of the anions The total charge supplied by each ion
in such proportions as would in the formula of an ionic compound
ensure that the overall charge is the lowest common multiple
of the ionic compound is (LCM) of the charges of the
neutral. combining cation and anion

Ions Charge LCM # of Cations # of anions to Therefore

combining to give LCM give LCM formula is;
Ca2+ and O2- 2 1 1 CaO
Ca2+ and N3- 6 3 2 Ca3N2
Al3+ and O2- 6 2 3 Al2O3
Al3+ and N3- 3 1 1 AlN
 NB: Ions are formed in order that the atom attains
the same number of electrons as the nearest noble
gas.

For example, each one of N,O,F, Na, Mg and Al gains

or loses electrons in order to attain the same number
of electrons as Ne, and thus attain a noble gas
Ionic electronic structure.
Compounds
All of the following species therefore have the same
number of electrons;

N3- ,O2- ,F- , Ne, Na+ ,Mg2+ , Al3+

Exercise: Write an equation for the formation of

each of the ions in the list above
 Naming
Inorganic
Compounds
(Nomenclature)
Summary of ion formation by Group
Group 1,2 : M+ , M2+ (e.g. Na+ , Ca2+)
Group 13 : M3+ (e.g. Al3+, Ga3+)
Group 15 : X3- (e.g. N3-, P3-)
Group 16 : X2- (e.g. O2-, S2-)
Group 3-12 (Transition Metals) variable/multiple (e.g. Cu+ ,
Cu2+ , Cu3+ )
 Polyatomic Ions
Often several atoms are covalently bonded together as a unit but carry a net charge

Most common polyatomic ions are anionic, e. g , Nitrate (NO3-), Sulphate ion
(SO42- ), Phosphate ion (PO43- )

An example of a polyatomic cation that you are probably

familiar with is the ammonium ion, NH4+
 Physical Properties of Ionic Compounds

▪ Three-dimensional array of
of ions, each surrounded by
oppositely charged counter-
Naming ion, eg NaCl
Inorganic
Compounds
(Nomenclature)

▪ High m.p and b.p

 Inorganic compounds are named in a systematic and
standardized manner to ensure that there is universal
uniformity in naming.
Monatomic ions
• Cations
Naming Simply “element” followed by “ion”. Example, Na+ is simply named; sodium ion
Inorganic Cs- Cesium ion

Compounds Ca2+
Mg2+
Calcium ion
Magnesium ion
(Nomenclature) K+ Potassium ion

▪ Anions
Add the suffix “-ide” to the name of the parent element

Cl- Chloride ion

O2- Oxide ion
N3- Nitride ion
H- Hydride ion
(Special cases: OH- , CN- )
 Oxyanions- polyatomic anions with oxygen around another
central atom

▪ Name by adding “ate” to the stem of the name of the central

atom

SO42- : sulfate ion

CO32- : carbonate ion

Naming
Inorganic SiO44- : silicate ion

Compounds ▪ If there are two oxyions with same central atom, use “-ate” for
oxyion with more O atoms and “-ite” for one with fewer

SO42- : sulfate ion

SO32- : sulfite ion

 • If there are four oxyions of the same central atom;

o use prefixes “hypo” in combination with the suffix “ite”

for the least oxidized oxyion

o use the prefix “per” in combination with the suffix “ate”

Naming for the most oxidized oxyion
Inorganic
o For the middle oxidation states, the prefixes “hypo” and
Compounds “per” are omitted and only suffixes “ite” and “ate” are
used, for the less and more oxidized oxyion, respectively

ClO- :hypochlorite
ClO2- :chlorite
ClO3- : chlorate
ClO4- : perchlorate
 The same system of naming can be applied to the other
halogens also.
Try naming the other halo-oxyanions similarly to those of
chlorine as an exercise and check your answers.

Exercise: Name the oxyanions of bromine;

Naming
Inorganic
Compounds
 BrO-
hypobromite

BrO2-
Naming Bromite
Inorganic
Compounds BrO3- :
Bromate

BrO4- :
perbromate
 Some Ions with H+ in the formula
These include “hydrogen” in the name

HCO3-
hydrogen carbonate ion
Naming
Inorganic
Compounds HPO42-
hydrogen phosphate ion

H2PO4–
dihydrogen phosphate ion
 Compounds Containing Only Monatomic
Ions
The name of the cation (the name of the metal) followed
by the name of the anion (the name of the nonmetallic
element with its ending replaced by the suffix –ide).
Naming NaCl, sodium chloride Na2O, sodium oxide
Inorganic KBr, potassium bromide CdS, cadmium sulfide
Compounds CaI2, calcium iodide Mg3N2, magnesium nitride
CsF, cesium fluoride Ca3P2, calcium phosphide
LiCl, lithium chloride Al4C3, aluminum carbide
Polyatomic ions
 Compounds Containing Polyatomic Ions
Name first the cation and then the anion

KC2H3O2, potassium acetate NH4Cl, ammonium chloride

NaHCO3, sodium bicarbonate CaSO4, calcium sulfate
Naming Al2(CO3)3, aluminum carbonate
Mg3(PO4)2, magnesium
Inorganic phosphate

Compounds
 Acids
These are hydrogen-containing compounds that produce H+
(H3O+ ) in water solution, but may exist in molecular form in
their free state.
Naming Acids
Naming Acids with an anion ending with “-ide” are named as “hydro—
Inorganic ic” acid.
Compounds HCl (aq); anion (Cl-) is chloride therefore the name is
Hydrochloric acid

HCN (aq)
Hydrocyanic acid (“aq” denotes the fact that the species is
dissolved in water, ie it is aqueous.)
 Acids
Acids with anions ending with “-ite”are named as
“-ous “acid.
HClO (aq)
hypochlorous acid (the anion is hypochlorite)
Naming
Inorganic
Compounds HClO2
chlorous acid (the anion is chlorite)
 Acids

Acids with anions ending with “-ate”are named as “-ic”acid.

HClO3(aq)
chloric acid (the ion is the chlorate ion)

HClO4 (aq)
perchloric acid (the anion is perchlorate)
 Acids
Note: Because many compounds that are acids in water solution are molecular
in their free state (or decompose outside water solution, the state symbol “aq”
should always be included to indicate an acid. Refer to the box below for
examples
Pure compound and its name Acid and its name

Hydrogen chloride gas, HCl (g) Hydrochloric acid, HCl (aq)

Dihydrogen sulphide, H2S (g) Hydrosulfuric acid, H2S (aq)

Carbon dioxide, CO2 (g) Carbonic acid, H2CO3 (aq)

Sulfur dioxide, SO2(g) Sulfurous acid, H2SO3 (aq)

 Naming Binary Inorganic Compounds
❖ Binary covalent compounds—covalent compounds that
contain only two elements
❖ Named using a procedure similar to that used for simple
ionic compounds, but prefixes are added as needed to
indicate the number of atoms of each kind.
Naming
Inorganic
Compounds
Less electronegative More electronegative
 1.Place the elements in their proper
order.

❖The element farthest to the left in

the periodic table (less electronegative) is
Naming usually named first. If both elements are in
Inorganic the same group, the element closer to the
bottom of the column is named first.
Compounds
❖The second element is named as if it were
a monatomic anion in an ionic compound
(even though it is not), with the suffix -
ide attached to the root of the element
name.
 2. Identify the number of each type of atom
present.

Prefix Number
mono- 1
di- 2
Naming tri- 3
Inorganic tetra- 4
penta- 5
Compounds hexa- 6
hepta- 7
octa- 8
nona- 9
deca- 10
undeca- 11
dodeca- 12
 ❖ If a molecule contains more than one atom of both
elements, then prefixes are used for both.
Example: N2O3 is dinitrogen trioxide

❖ In some names, the final a or o of the prefix is

dropped
Naming Example: OsO4 is osmium tetroxide rather than
osmium tetraoxide.
Inorganic
Compounds 3. Write the name of the compound.

❖ Binary compounds of the elements with oxygen are

named as “element oxide,”
Example, CO is carbon monoxide.

❖ The only exception is binary compounds of oxygen

with fluorine, which are named as oxygen fluorides.
 Naming Binary Inorganic Compounds
N2O4
dinitrogen tetroxide

NF3
Nitrogen trifluoride
Naming
SF6
Inorganic Sulfur hexafluoride
Compounds
N2O
Dinitrogen monoxide or dinitrogen oxide

CO
Carbon monoxide (by common use, not carbon oxide)

P4O10
Tetraphosphorus decoxide
 ❖ Certain compounds are always called by the common
names that were assigned before formulas were used.
Example
H2O is water (not dihydrogen oxide);
NH3 is ammonia;
PH3 is phosphine;
Naming SiH4 is silane;
B2H6, a dimer of BH3, is diborane.
Inorganic
Compounds ❖ For many compounds, the systematic name and the
common name are both used frequently
Example:
The systematic name for NO is nitrogen monoxide,
(more commonly called nitric oxide).
N2O is usually called nitrous oxide rather than
dinitrogen monoxide.
NB: The suffixes -ic and -ous are the same ones used for
ionic compounds.
 Hydrates (naming of)
❖ Sometimes when ionic compounds are formed, water
molecules are “trapped “within the crystal structure.
This is called the water of crystallization or Waters of
hydration.
❖ Waters of hydration can often be removed simply by
Naming heating.
Inorganic ❖ Such hydrated salts are usually referred to as hydrates.
❖ The number of molecules of water of crystallization per
Compounds formula unit of ionic compound differ and is indicated
in the formula of the compound.
❖ The name of a hydrate specifies the number of
water molecules per formula unit of the hydrate.
 Example:

CuSO4 . 5H2O
Copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate

Naming CoCl3 .6H2O

Inorganic Cobalt (III) chloride hexahydrate
Compounds KCr(SO4)2 . 12H2O
Potassium chromium sulphate dodecahydrate

(notice how the charges of all the ions add up to

zero; K+ , Cr3+, 2 x SO4 2- , 12H2O)
 Compounds Containing a Metal Ion
with a Variable Charge
❖ Most of the transition metals and some main
group metals can form two or more cations
Naming with different charges.
❖ Compounds of these metals with nonmetals
Inorganic are named with the same method as ionic
Compounds compounds except the charge of the metal ion
is specified by a Roman numeral in
parentheses after the name of the metal.
 Compounds Containing a Metal Ion
with a Variable Charge

Naming
Inorganic
Compounds
 Name the following ionic compounds
(a) Fe2S3

(b) CuSe
Naming
Inorganic (c) GaN
Compounds
(d) MgSO4·7H2O

(e) Ti2(SO4)3
 Write the formulas of the following ionic compounds:

(a) chromium(III) phosphide

(b) mercury(II) sulfide

Naming
Inorganic (c) manganese(II) phosphate
Compounds
(d) copper(I) oxide

(e) iron(III) chloride dihydrate

 Name the following covalent compounds:

(a) SF6

(b) N2O3
Naming
Inorganic
(c) Cl2O7
Compounds
(d) P4O6
 Write the formulas for the following compounds:

(a) phosphorus pentachloride

(b) dinitrogen monoxide

Naming
Inorganic
(c) iodine heptafluoride
Compounds
(d) carbon tetrachloride