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Atomic Structure

Names of Ionic Compounds.

The names of metal elements do not change when they become ions.
If you do not know whether an element is a metal
or a non-metal see the periodic table.

Metals form positively charged ions called cations. Examples are
Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Al³⁺.
The above ions are called
lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and  aluminium.

The names of non-metal elements do change when they become ions.
Non-metals form negatively charged ions called anions. Examples are
F^-, Cl^-, Br^-, I^-, O^2-, S^2-.
If there is only 1 non-metal in the ionic compound, the name ends in ide.
The above ions are called
fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, oxide and sulfide.

So,  lithium + chlorine  lithium chloride.
2Li_(s)  +    Cl_2(g)              2LiCl_(s)

potassium + bromine  potassium bromide.
2K_(s)  +    Br_2(l)              2KBr_(s)

If there are 2 non-metals and the second one is oxygen, the name ends in ate.

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Copyright © 2008 Dr. Colin France. All Rights Reserved.