IGCSE

CHAPTER 4:
CHEMICAL FORMULAE AND
EQUATIONS
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 02 03
Chemical names Chemical Relative masses
and formulae equations for of atoms and
reactions molecules
 01
Chemical names and
formulae
• Understand how to write the chemical
formulae of elements and compounds
• Define the molecular formula as the
number and type of different atoms in
one molecule
 Formulae of elements
Each element has its chemical symbol (a letter or group of letters representing an
element in a chemical formula).

Element Chemical symbol

Note:
Hydrogen H • All chemical symbols are either a
single capital letter or made up of
Oxygen O two letters.
• The second letter is always lower
Nitrogen N
case letter.
Sodium Na

Magnesium Mg

Manganese Mn
Chemical compounds
consist of elements
bonded together.
 The Formulae of Ionic Compounds
Ionic compounds are solids at room temperature, and their formulae are simply the
whole number ratio of the positive to negative ion in the structure.
Example:
The Formulae of Ionic Compounds
For the polyatomic ions, it is useful to put the formula in the bracket to emphasise
that it’s their overall charge and that it cannot be changed.
Example:
 Naming Ionic Compounds
Rules:
• Name the metal first
• Where the metal can form more than one ion, then the name indicates which
ion is present; for example iron(II) chloride contains Fe2+ ion, while iron(III)
chloride contains Fe3+ ion.
• Compounds containing two elements have names ending in –ide; for example:
sodium chloride: NaCl
calcium bromide:CaBr2
magnesium nitride:M g 3N 2
exception: hydroxide (OH -)
• Compounds containing polyatomic ion (usually containing oxygen) have
names that end with –ate; for example:
calcium carbonate:CaCO3
potassium nitrate:KNO 3
magnesium sulfate:MgSO 4
sodium nitrate:CH 3COONa
 The Formulae of Covalent Compounds
Working out the valency (electrons in outer shell):
• For elements in Groups I-IV → valency = group number (should be positive)
• For elements in Groups V-VII → valency = 8 – the group number (should be negative)
• For elements in Group VIII → Valency =zero
 The Formulae of Covalent Compounds
The valency of an atom is the number of covalent bonds it can form.
The ‘cross-over’ method for working out chemical formulae can be applied to covalent
compounds.
Example:
 The Formulae of Covalent Compounds
NOTE!

The method above doesn’t work for the many covalent molecules hat do not
have a single central atom, for example H2O2, C2H6, C3H6, etc. The
formulae of these compounds still obey the valency rules.
However, the numbers in the formula represent the actual number of atoms of each
element present in a molecule of the compound.
 Naming Covalent Compounds
Rule:

• Compounds containing only two elements have names ending in –ide

• The names of some compounds use prefixes to tell you the number of that
particular atom in the molecule. This is useful if two elements form more than
one compound. Example:
carbon monoxide, CO and carbon dioxide, CO2 nitrogen
dioxide, NO 2 and dinitrogen tetraoxide, N 2O 4 sulfur
dioxide, SO2 and sulfur trioxide, SO#

Note: the prefix mono is not applicable for the first name.
 02
Chemical equations
for reactions
• The formula of simple covalent compounds
• Writing word and balanced symbol equations,
including state symbols
• The formula of ionic compounds
• Writing ionic equations and deduce symbol
equations for chemical reactions
 IMPORTANT!!!
Pay attention to the following reactions!

Magnesium + Oxygen → Magnesium oxide Word equation

Mg + O2 → MgO Symbol equation

Reactants Products
(what react) (what is produced)
 NOTE.
There are some elements that should be written in diatomic molecules.

The Halogens Oxygen Hydrogen

F2 O2 H2
Cl2
Br2
I2
 Using state symbol.
State symbol: symbols used to show the physical state of the reactants
and products in a chemical reaction.
 Constructing balanced symbol equation.
Example 1: the reaction between alkali metals with water.

General equation:
alkali metal + water → metal hydroxide + hydrogen

Therefore:
Potassium + water → potassium hydroxide + hydrogen

Then:
K + H2O → KOH + H2

Observe the number of elements in reactants and

products. Are they already balanced?
 Constructing balanced symbol equation.
Balancing K + H2O → KOH + H2

Solutions:
 Constructing balanced symbol equation.
Example 2:
Nitrogen + hydrogen → ammonia
 Constructing balanced symbol equation.
Example 3:
Copper(II) sulfate + sodium hydroxide
→ copper(II) hydroxide + sodium sulfate
 Ionic equations.
→The simplified equation for a reaction involving ionic
substances: only those ions which actually take part in the
reaction are shown

Example:

Ions that being crossed out are spectator ions. They are present, but
do not take part in it.
The ionic equation of that reaction is:
 Ionic equations.
Example 2. Please find out the spectator ions and write the ionic
equation.