Can you simplify ionic compounds

The charges on each of these ions can be determined by looking at the groups in which aluminum and nitrogen are found on the periodic table. The ions are:. Since the ions have charges that are equal in magnitude 3, but different signs , is the lowest ratio of ions that will produce a neutral compound.

Another compound, lithium oxide, contains the following ions:. For compounds in which the ratio of ions is not as obvious, an alternative way to determine the correct formula is to use the "crisscross" method. In this method, the numerical value of each charge crosses over to become the subscript of the opposite ion.

The signs of the charges are dropped. The crisscross method is demonstrated below for aluminum oxide. For aluminum oxide, the crisscross method directly produces the correct formula, but in some cases, another step is required. Because ionic compounds are always described by their empirical formulas, they must be written as the lowest whole-number ratio of the ions.

A second step must be performed in which the subscripts are reduced but the ratio is kept the same. Following the crisscross method to write the formula for lead IV oxide would involve the following steps:. Some transition metals can have more than one possible charge. When this happens, the charge on the transition metal cation is included in parentheses in the name.

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Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Method 1. Identify a binary compound. The simplest type of ionic compound is made from exactly 2 elements, 1 metal and 1 non-metal. Their name is always written as 2 element names, plus the -ide suffix attached to the second name. If the "-ide" suffix doesn't follow a single element name, see instructions for polyatomic ions.

For example, "oxide" is a simple oxygen ion, but "hydroxide" and "peroxide" are polyatomic. Look up the 2 elements on a periodic table. The first word of the name refers to the metal ion the positively charged cation.

The second word, ending in -ide , refers to a non-metal ion the negatively charged anion. Find this on the right side of the periodic table. For example, potassium oxide is a combination of potassium chemical symbol K, atomic number 19 and oxygen O, atomic number 8. Notice that the -ide ending is not part of the element name. You're just looking for an element with the same beginning in this case ox-. Find the charge of each ion. In these simple compounds, it is easy to predict the charge of each ion.

The Group 15 elements N and P gain a charge of The Group 16 elements O and S gain a charge of Balance the charges. Electrical forces hold together ionic compounds, pulling the positive and negative ions together. Taken as a whole, the ionic compound is electrically neutral, meaning it has a total charge of zero. If it had a different charge, it would pull in another atom. Find the number of atoms of each element that combine to "cancel out" each other's charge and make a neutral compound.

Write your answer as a chemical formula. Write the 2 chemical symbols in the same order they appear in the compound's name metal then nonmetal.

If there is exactly 1 atom of an element, you do not need a number. There is no need to write the charges. In both systems, the name of the anion ends in -ide. Boundless vets and curates high-quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet. This particular resource used the following sources:.

Skip to main content. Atoms, Molecules, and Ions. Search for:. Naming Ionic Compounds. Learning Objective Convert between the chemical formula of an ionic compound and its name. For an ionic compound to be stable, the positive charges have to equal the negative charges. No, because you can simplify the formula by dividing the subscripts each by a common multiple of 2 to form: CH3. Therefore, CH3 is an empirical formula while C2H6 is a molecular formula.

Masses of each element in the formula OR. Percentages of each element in the formula. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search.

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