Chemical formulae and naming compoundsIB MYP Chemistry: Flashcards

What these 13 flashcards ask

What is the overall charge on an ionic compound?
What are the formulae of hydroxide, nitrate, sulfate and carbonate ions?
What is the formula of magnesium chloride and why?
What is the formula of aluminium oxide?
What ending is used when naming a compound of a metal with one non-metal element?
When do you use brackets in a formula?
What is the formula of calcium nitrate?
What is the name of Na₂SO₄?
Do ionic compound names use prefixes such as di- and tri-?
What do the prefixes mono, di, tri and tetra mean?
What is the formula of carbon tetrachloride?
What does a covalent formula show compared with an ionic formula?
How many bonds do H, O, N and C usually make?

Exam questions on Chemical formulae and naming compounds

A technician in Nairobi is labelling bottles of ionic compounds for a new school chemistry store room. Each label must give the correct name and formula. She works out each formula from the charges on the ions: sodium Na⁺, magnesium Mg²⁺, aluminium Al³⁺, chloride Cl⁻, oxide O²⁻ and sulfate SO₄²⁻.
Explain why the formula of aluminium oxide is Al₂O₃.2 marks
A company in Spain produces calcium hydroxide to neutralise acidic soil and calcium nitrate to use as a fertiliser. Calcium ions are Ca²⁺, hydroxide ions are OH⁻ and nitrate ions are NO₃⁻.
Explain why the formula of calcium nitrate is written Ca(NO₃)₂ and not CaNO₃.2 marks
A student looks up the formulae of some ionic compounds in a data book: sodium chloride NaCl, magnesium chloride MgCl₂, aluminium chloride AlCl₃, sodium oxide Na₂O, magnesium oxide MgO and aluminium oxide Al₂O₃. She hypothesises that the formula of an ionic compound can be predicted from the charges on its ions. Sodium ions are Na⁺, magnesium ions are Mg²⁺, aluminium ions are Al³⁺, chloride ions are Cl⁻ and oxide ions are O²⁻.
Describe the pattern in the formulae of the three chlorides in the data, and explain it.3 marks

Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).