Reading and Writing in

Chemistry
Nomenclature, empirical and molecular formula

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Chemical Formulas
• Molecular compounds are represented by chemical
formulas.
• symbolic representations that indicate the elements present and
the relative number of atoms of each element.
• In the formula for water, the constituent elements are
denoted by their symbols.
• The relative numbers of atoms are indicated by subscripts.
Where no subscript is written, the number 1 is understood.

Two elements present:

Hydrogen & Oxygen
H2O
Lack of subscript means
2 atoms of H one atom of O 2
Naming Binary Compounds
• Binary compounds are those formed between two
elements.
• To name a binary compound of a metal and a non-metal,
write the unmodified name of the metal then write the
name of the non-metal, modified to end in –ide.

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• Main-group cations (blue) and anions (purple). A
cation bears the same name as the element it is
derived from; an anion name has an -ide ending.

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Common Transition Metal Ions
• Some metals form more than one kind of cation.
• Iron forms both the doubly charged Fe2+ ion and the triply
charged Fe3+ ion.
• In naming these ions, we distinguish between them by using
a Roman numeral in parentheses to indicate the number of
charges.
• Thus, FeCl2 is named iron(II) chloride and FeCl3 is iron(III)
chloride.

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• In any neutral compound, the total number of positive
charges must equal the total number of negative charges.
• Metals in group 1A and group 2A form only one cation, so
Roman numerals are not needed.

• Give systematic names for the following compounds:

(a) BaCl2 (b) CrCl3 (c) PbS (d) Fe2O3*

• Write formulas for the following compounds:

(a) Magnesium fluoride (b) Tin(IV) oxide* (c) Iron(III) sulfide

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Some Simple Ions

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Numerical Prefixes for Naming
Compounds

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Naming Binary Compounds (cont’d)
• If the two elements in a binary compound are both
non-metals, the compound is a molecular
compound.
• The cationlike element takes the name of the
element itself, and the anionlike element takes an
-ide ending.
• The compound HF, for example, is called hydrogen
fluoride.

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Naming Binary Molecular Compounds

Give systematic names for the following

compounds: (a) PCl3 (b) N2O3 (c) P4O7* (d) BrF3

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Common Polyatomic Ions

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Naming Compounds with Polyatomic
Ions

• Give systematic names for the following

compounds:
(a) LiNO3 (b) KHSO4 (c) CuCO3 (d) Fe(ClO4)3 *

• Write formulas for the following compounds:

(a) Potassium hypochlorite (b) Silver(I) chromate*
(c) Iron(III) carbonate

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Empirical Formula
• An empirical formula is the simplest formula for a compound;
it shows the types of atoms present and their relative
numbers.
• The subscripts in an empirical formula are reduced to their
simplest whole-number ratio.

• For example, P2O5 is the empirical formula for a compound

whose molecules have the formula P4O10.

• Generally, the empirical formula does not tell us a great deal

about a compound.
• Acetic acid (C2H4O2) formaldehyde (CH2O) and glucose (C6H12O6) all
have the empirical formula CH2O.
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• An organic compound has the following mass
composition 22.88% C, 5.76% H and 71.36% As. The
molar mass of this compound was given as 209.96
g/mol. Deduce the molecular formula of this
compound.

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