How Do You Name Ionic Compounds Containing Polyatomic Ions?
A new chemistry student will want to make it a priority to learn how to name ionic compounds containing polyatomic ions. Of course, the general rules for naming ionic compounds and also for naming binary ionic compounds will be essential. Learn these skills and you will be on your way to being a top-rate chemistry student. Name ionic compounds containing polyatomic ions the same way as other ionic compounds, but use the polyatomic ion name whenever it occurs. (See Related eHows, “How to Name Ionic Compounds” and “How to Name Binary Ionic Compounds.” Pull up a table of common polyatomic ion names from a website when naming ionic compounds (See Resources). Name NaNO2 like this: Na+ is sodium, a cation, NO2- is the polyatomic ion nitrite; sodium nitrite is the name of the ionic compound with a polyatomic ion. Know that some metals form more than one kind of cation. For instance, chromium, iron and cobalt all have a 2+ cation and a 3+ cation. Tin and lead both have a 2+ cation and a 4+ cat
