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Any ionic compound has an overall charge of zero. How does this fact help to determine its formula?

Consider the two binary compounds \(\mathrm{Al}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) and \(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) (a) Which is a binary ionic compound and which is a binary covalent compound? Explain. (b) \(\mathrm{Al}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) is properly named aluminum oxide, but \(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) is named dinitrogen trioxide. Explain fully why one name uses Greek prefixes and the other does not.

What "monkey wrench" do transition metals throw into the picture when naming binary compounds? What do we include in the nomenclature system to accommodate them?

Give the formulas for the following compounds: (a) Ammonium acetate (b) Ammonium carbonate (c) Iron(II) nitrate (d) Ferric hydroxide (e) Calcium hypochlorite

Consider the sulfate, sulfite, nitrate, nitrite, chlorate, and chlorite ions. What information do the -ate and -ite suffixes communicate?

The oxide ion is \(\mathrm{O}^{2-}\). How does this ion differ from the peroxide ion, \(\mathrm{O}_{2}^{2-} ?\) Draw dot diagrams for both.

Students commonly confuse ammonia with ammonium. (a) Write the formula and draw dot diagrams for both species, and describe the difference between them. (b) Based on your answer to (a), write the formulas for phosphine and phosphonium, complete with charges if there are any.

A student writes the formula for magnesium hydroxide as \(\mathrm{MgOH}_{2}\). What is wrong with that formula? How should the student fix it?

A compound consisting of one oxygen atom and two nitrogen atoms is written \(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) and is called dinitrogen monoxide. It is not written as \(\mathrm{ON}_{2}\), and it is not called oxygen dinitride. Explain why.

\(\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) is called dinitrogen monoxide, whereas, \(\mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) is called sodium oxide, not disodium oxide. Explain why, and also explain how the name sodium oxide still lets us know that there are two sodium atoms in the formula.