SHS 11

General Chemistry 1
Activity Sheet
Quarter 3 – WEEK 2
General Chemistry 1
Atomic Structure
Formulas and Names
of Compounds
 Learning Activity Sheets (LAS) for General Chemistry 1

Name of Learner: ________________________________________________________

Grade and Section: _____________________________ Date____________________

General Chemistry 1
ACTIVITY SHEET
I. Learning Competency with Code
-Recognize common isotopes and their uses. STEM_GC11AMIc-e-19
-Represent compounds using chemical formulas, structural formulas
and models. STEM_GC11AMIc-e-21
-Name compounds given their formula and write formula given the name
of the compound. STEM_GC11AMIc-e-23
-Calculate the empirical formula from the percent composition of a
compound. STEM_GC11PCIf-32

II. Background Information for Learners

 The science of chemistry is based on the concept of the atom and

molecules. Knowledge of the atoms and molecules in the environment and
in biological systems has provided an understanding of the changes
occurring in them. It has also allowed the prediction of their behavior and
the solution to any problem observed in their behavior.

 Law of Conservation of Mass: In a chemical reaction, no change in mass

takesplace. The total mass of the products is equal to the total mass of the
reactant. Antoine Lavoisier, a brilliant French chemist, formulated this law
by describing one of hisexperiments involving mercuric oxide. He placed a
small amount of mercuric oxide, a red solid, inside a retort and sealed the
vessel tightly. He weighed the system, and then subjected it to high
temperature. During the heating, the red solid turned into a silvery liquid.
This observation indicated that a chemical reaction took place. After which,
the setup was cooled and then weighed. The weight of the system was
found to be the same as before heating.

 Law of Definite Proportion: A compound always contains the same

constituent elements in a fixed or definite proportion by mass.

 Law of Multiple Proportions: If two elements can combine to form more than
one compound, the masses of one element that will combine with a fixed mass
of the other element are in a ratio of small whole numbers.

 Dalton’s Atomic Theory, proposed by John Dalton, can be used to explain

the laws of chemical change. This theory is based on the following set of
postulates:
1. Elements are made up of very small particles known as atoms.
2. All the atoms of an element are identical in mass and size, and are
different from the atoms of another element.
3. Compounds are composed of atoms of more than one element,
combined in definite ratios with whole number values.
4. During a chemical reaction, atoms combine, separate, or rearrange. No
atoms are created and no atoms disappear.
 During the time of Dalton, the atom was believed to be the smallest
particle comprising substances. However, before the end of the 19th century,
experiments provided proof of the existence of smaller particles within the
atom.

 The particles contained in an atom (or the subatomic particles) are

differentiated in terms of location, charge, and relative mass:

 Atomic number = number of protons = number of electrons in a neutral

atom
Mass number = number of protons + number of neutrons

 The concept of isotopes- atoms of an element having the same atomic

number but different mass number. The existence of isotopes was shown
by mass spectroscopy experiments, wherein elements were found to be
composed of several types of atoms, each with different masses.
a. The atomic number identifies an element. The atoms of isotopes of an
element have the same number of protons and electrons.
b. The atoms of isotopes of an element differ in the number of neutrons.

 Each element has a characteristic atom.

a. Dalton differentiated the elements and their atoms through drawings.
b. However, in present day, elements are differentiated and represented
through symbols.
i. Many symbols are abbreviations derived from the name of the element.
ii. Some symbols are derived from their Latin names.

 Ions can be made up of only one atom (monoatomic) or more than one type
of atom (polyatomic).

Monoatomic ions are named based on the element.

a. For cations, the name of the element is unchanged. If an element can
form two ions of different charges, the name, which is usually derived
from its Latin name, is modified by the suffix –ic for the ion with the
higher charge, and –ous for that with the lower charge.
 b. For anions, the name of the element is modified by the suffix –ide.
Several anions are polyatomic and are named based on the atomic
constituents and the suffix – ide.

A number of polyatomic anions containing oxygen atoms are named

based on the root word of the central (or non-oxygen) atom and the suffix
–ate for the one with more oxygen atoms and –ite for the one with less
oxygen atom.
a. NO3 -– nitrate ion
b. NO2-– nitrite ion
c. SO32- – sulfite ion
d. SO42- – sulfate ion
e. PO43- – phosphate ion

Some anions have common names ending with the suffix –ate.
a. C2H3O2-– acetate ion
b. C2O42- – oxalate ion

 The composition of a molecule or an ion can be represented by a chemical

formula. The formula consists of the symbols of the atoms making up the
molecule. If there is more than one atom present, a numerical subscript is
used. Examples are the following:
a. O2 – oxygen gas
b. H2O – water
c. NaOH – sodium hydroxide (liquid Sosa)
d. HCl – hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid)

There are two types of chemical formulas:

a. Molecular formula – gives the composition of the molecule, in terms of
the actual number of atoms present. Examples are the following:
i. C6H12O6
ii. K3PO4
iii. Na2C2O4
b. Empirical formula – gives the composition of the molecule, in terms of
the smallest ratio of the number of atoms present. Examples are the
following:
i. CH2O
ii. NaCO2

 The naming of compounds follows a set of rules.

Binary compounds – made up of two elements. The following are the rules for
naming the two groups of binary compounds:
a. Ionic compounds – made up of a cation and an anion. They are named
by giving the name of the cation first, followed by the name of the anion.

b. Molecular compounds – made up of two non-metals. They are named

by giving the name of the first nonmetal and then that of the second nonmetal
modified by the ending -ide. Molecular compounds are usually gases.

There are rules for naming ternary compounds – made up of three

elements. The naming of ternary compounds follows the same rule as that of
the binary ionic compound: the name of the cation is given first, followed by
the name of the anion.
 Acids – yield hydrogen ions in aqueous solutions.
a. Binary acids – composed of hydrogen and another element, usually a
nonmetal. The first part of the name starts with the prefix hydro- followed by
the name of the element, modified by the ending –ic. The second part consists
of the word ‘acid’. Name = hydro- (root name of element) -ic + acid

b. Ternary acids – made up of hydrogen and an anion, usually containing

oxygen. The first part of the name consists of the root word of the name of the
element, modified by the ending –ic. The second part consists of the word ‘acid’.
If there is another acid with the same atoms, the suffix –ous is used to denote
the one with less number of atoms. Name = (root name of element) -ic (or –ous)
+ acid

 To write the formula of the compound. Emphasize that in writing the

formula, the total positive charges of the cations should be equal to the
total of the negative charges of the anion. The net charge should be zero.

III. Activity Proper

A. Apply the concepts on atomic number and mass number, and fill
up the following table:

B. Complete the following table containing information about the

isotopes of hydrogen:
 C. Naming and writing chemical formula:

C.1 Name the following cations:

i. Mg2+
ii. K+
iii. Fe3+
C.2 Name the following anions:
i. Br-
ii. S2-
iii. O2-
C.3 Name the following Ionic compounds:
i. NaI
ii. MgCl2
iii. FeS
C.4 Name the following Molecular compounds:
i. HCl
ii. CO2
iii. SO3
C.5 Name the following Ternary compounds:
i. NaNO3
ii. BaCrO4
iii. K2SO4
C.6 Name the following binary acids:
i. HCl
ii. H2S
iii. HI
C.7 Name the following ternary acids:
i. HNO3
ii. HNO2
iii. H2SO4
C.8 Write the formula of the following compounds, given the name of the
compound:
i. Silver nitrate
ii. Potassium iodide
iii. Nitrogen dioxide

IV. Reflection:
Learning to name and write formulas for chemical compounds requires
practice with immediate feedback to help you learn from mistakes. What
difficulties did you experience in naming and writing compounds? How did you
overcome these challenges?

V. References:

Teaching Guide for Senior High School GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1 SPECIALIZED

SUBJECT | ACADEMIC STEM Published by the Commission on Higher
Education, 2016