Naming Chemical Compounds

Naming Chemical Compounds

Chemical compounds are formed when elements are joined by chemical bonds. These bonds are so strong that the compound behaves like a single substance. Compounds have their own properties that are unique from the elements they are made of. A compound is a type of molecule with more than one element. You can go here to learn more about molecules and compounds. 

How Compounds are Named 

Chemists have a specific way of naming compounds. It is a standard method of naming compounds that is used by scientists around the world. The name is built from the elements and the construction of the molecule. 

Basic Naming Convention 

First we'll cover how to name molecules with two elements (binary compounds). The name of a compound with two elements has two words. 

To get the first word we use the name of the first element, or the element to the left of the formula. To get the second word we use the name of the second element and change the suffix to "ide" at the end of the word. 

Some examples of adding the "ide": 

O = oxygen = oxide
Cl = chlorine = chloride
Br = bromine = bromide
F = fluorine = fluoride 

Examples of binary compounds: 

NaCl - sodium chloride
MgS - magnesium sulfide
InP = indium phosphide 

What if there is more than one atom? 

In cases where there is more than one atom (for example there are two oxygen atoms in CO₂) you add a prefix to the start of the element based on the number of atoms. Here is a list of the prefixes used: 

# Atoms 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Prefix mono- di- tri- tetra- penta- hexa- hepta- octa- nona- deca-

** note: the "mono" prefix is not used on the first element. For example CO = carbon monoxide. 

Examples: 

CO₂ = carbon dioxide
N₂O = dinitrogen monoxide
CCL₄ = carbon tetrachloride
S₃N₂ = trisulfur dinitride 

How is the order of the elements determined? 

When there are two elements in a compound, which element goes first in the name? 

If the compound is made of a metal element and a nonmetal element, then the metal element is first. If there are two nonmetal elements, then the first name is the element to the left side of the periodic table. 

Examples:

• In a compound that contains iron and fluoride, the metal (iron) would go first.
• In a compound that contains carbon and oxygen the element to the left on the periodic table (carbon) would go first.

More Complex Naming Rules 

See below for some of the more complex naming rules. 

Naming Metal-Nonmetal Compounds 

If one of the two compounds is a metal, then the naming convention changes a bit. Using the stock method, a roman numeral is used after the metal to indicate which ion is using the charge. 

Examples: 

Ag₂Cl₂ = silver (II) dichloride
FeF₃ = iron (III) fluoride 

Naming Polyatomic Compounds 

Polyatomic compounds use a different suffix. Most of them end in "-ate" or "-ite". There are a few exceptions that end in "-ide" including hydroxide, peroxide, and cyanide. 

Examples: 

Na₂SO₄ = sodium sulfate
Na₃PO₄ = sodium phosphate
Na₂SO₃ = sodium sulfite 

Naming Acids 

Hydro acids use the prefix "hydro-" and the suffix "-ic". 

HF = hydrofluoric acid
HCl - hydrochloric acid 

Oxoacids containing oxygen use the "-ous" or the "-ic" suffix. The "-ic" suffix is used for the acid that has more oxygen atoms. 

H₂SO₄ = sulfuric acid
HNO₂ = nitrous acid
HNO₃ = nitric acid 

Is Mars really Red?

Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry

What is organic chemistry? 

Organic chemistry is the study of compounds that contain the element carbon. This is a wide ranging topic that overlaps with other sciences like biochemistry, medicine, and materials science. Organic chemists study the properties, structure, and chemical reactions of organic compounds. 

Why is carbon important? 

Carbon is the central element to all living organisms. It is the basis to all life on earth. By studying carbon and organic compounds, scientists can learn more about life, the human body, and how it works. 

Organic Molecules 

Most organic molecules are made up of long rings or chains of carbon atoms with atoms of other elements attached. Common elements besides carbon (C) that are found in organic compounds include hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S). Some examples of organic molecules include:

• Carbohydrates - Carbohydrates consist only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They include starches and sugars and play an important role in our daily lives.
• Lipids - Lipids include fats and waxes. They are used for long term storage of energy in life forms.
• Proteins - Proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids. Proteins play an important role in nearly every process that takes place in cells.
• Nucleic Acids - Nucleic acids make up long chains of components such as DNA and RNA. DNA carries information such as genes for protein molecules to use. The RNA helps to move the DNA code from storage to where it can be used.

Types of Organic Compounds or Functional Groups 

There are a number of types of organic compounds. Scientists divide these up into functional groups based on the type of element common to the group in addition to carbon. These groups have similar properties because they have similar molecules. 

Hydrocarbons 

Hydrocarbons form a functional group of organic compounds that are composed of only hydrogenand carbon atoms. Within the group of hydrocarbons are other groups such as alkanes. Alkanes include ethane, propane, methane, and butane. A lot of these compounds are used for heating and cooking. Other groups of hydrocarbons are alkenes, and alkynes. 

Other elements 

Other elements that carbon combines with to form organic compounds include oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and boron. 

Organic Synthesis 

Organic synthesis is the process of making organic compounds. Many of the products we use everyday are made from organic compounds produced in large factories. Examples of these include plastics, alcohols, rubber, and dyes. 

What is the difference between organic chemistry and biochemistry? 

We learned that organic chemistry is the study of compounds containing carbon. Biochemistry, on the other hand, is the study of chemical processes in biological systems. These two sciences often overlap as organic compounds play an important role in many chemical processes. 

Interesting Facts about Organic Chemistry

• Carbon occurs in its pure form in nature as graphite and diamond.
• Around 18 percent of the human body is carbon atoms.
• Charles Goodyear found that combining rubber with sulfur allowed the rubber to be more durable across temperatures.
• Synthetic dyes made from organic compounds have allowed the manufacture of dyes rather than using plants for dyes.
• DNA molecules are very long. If you stretched one out it would be about three feet long.

States of Matter - solids, liquids and gases | Chemistry for All | The Fuse School

States of Matter - solids, liquids and gases | Chemistry for All | The Fuse School

Atoms Around Us

 
What is an atom? Atoms are building blocks. If you want to create a language, you'll need an alphabet. If you want to build molecules, you will need atoms from different elements. Elements are the alphabet in the language of molecules. 

Each element is a little bit different from the rest. In English, you know that “B” is different from “C.” In chemistry, “B” is also different from “C” because boron (B) and carbon (C) are different elements with atoms that have different structures. Atoms are defined as the smallest units of matter that have the properties of an individual element. 

Are there pieces of matter smaller than an atom? Sure. Atoms are made up of smaller and even smaller particles of matter. However, those smaller particles don’t have the properties of an element. The electrons in a gold (Au) atom are the same as the electrons in an atom of neon (Ne). In chemistry, we like to study atoms because the Universe revolves around the properties of elements, not necessarily the properties of an electron or proton. 

For example, let’s say you have bar of gold. You know that bar is made of matter because everything is made of matter. Because it is pure gold, there are only gold atoms in the bar. If you only had one atom of gold in your hand, it would have the same properties as every other gold atom in that bar. But what if you only had one electron from a gold atom? That electron would not have the properties of gold anymore. It would just be an electron doing electron stuff. The atom is the smallest unit that has the properties of an element. 

We can teach you about the general structure of an atom, but you need to study atoms from different elements to really learn how atoms work. 

Common Elements

 
Let's work with the alphabet idea again. If you read a book, you will find words on each page. Letters make up those words. In English, we only have twenty-six letters, but we can make thousands of words. In chemistry, you are working with almost 120 elements. When you combine them, you can make millions of different molecules. 

Molecules are groups of atoms in the same way that words are groups of letters. An "A" will always be an "A" no matter what word it is in. A sodium (Na) atom will always be a sodium atom no matter what molecule it is in. While atoms from different elements have different masses and structures, they are all built with the same parts. Electrons, protons, and neutronsare the basic subunits for all atoms across the Universe. 

From Simple to Complex

 
If you want to do a little more thinking, imagine the smallest particles of matter. Super-tiny subatomic particles are used to create the parts of atoms. Protons, neutrons, and electrons can then organize to form atoms. Atoms are then used to create the molecules around us. As we just learned, there are almost 120 elements that can be found in the molecules we know. Smaller molecules can work together and build macromolecules. It just goes on. Everything you see or imagine is built from something else. 

You could start really small...
- Particles of matter
  - Atoms
    - Molecules
      - Macromolecules
        - Cell organelles
          - Cells
            - Tissues
              - Organs
                - Systems
                  - Organisms
                    - Populations
                      - Ecosystems
                        - Biomes
                          - Planets
                            - Systems with Stars
                              - Galaxies
                                - The Universe
                                  ...And finish really big. 

Wow! All of that is possible because of atoms. 

Basic Atomic Structure

Basic Atomic Structure

Present simple