Naming Molecules

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Binary Molecular Compound Noun

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[by-nair-ee mo-lek-yuh-ler kom-pound]

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Binary Molecular Compound

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A chemical compound that is composed of atoms from only two different nonmetal elements bonded together.

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Example: This image shows a carbon dioxide (CO₂) molecule, a binary compound made of two different elements (carbon and oxygen) joined together.

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Prefix Noun

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[pree-fix]

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Prefix

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A syllable added to the beginning of a chemical name to indicate the number of atoms of an element.

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Example: This chart shows the prefixes used to indicate the number of atoms when naming molecules, such as 'di-' for two or 'tri-' for three.

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-ide Suffix Noun

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[eyed suf-fix]

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-ide Suffix

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A suffix added to the root name of the second, more electronegative element in a binary molecular compound.

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Example: This image shows that when naming a simple compound like NaCl, the second element (Chlorine) changes its ending to the '-ide' suffix, becoming Chloride.

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Acid Noun

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[as-id]

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Acid

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A molecular compound that increases the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in an aqueous solution.

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Example: This image shows that an acid is a substance that turns blue litmus paper red, a common chemical test to identify acids.

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Aqueous Solution Noun

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[ay-kwee-us suh-loo-shun]

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Aqueous Solution

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A type of solution where the substance, known as the solute, is completely dissolved in water, the solvent.

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Example: This diagram shows a salt (NaCl) crystal dissolving in water. The water molecules pull the sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) ions apart, creating an aqueous solution.

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Binary Acid Noun

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[by-nair-ee as-id]

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Binary Acid

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An acidic compound that contains hydrogen and only one other element, typically a nonmetal from the halogen group.

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Example: This image shows a molecule of Hydrogen Chloride (HCl), a classic binary acid, which consists of one hydrogen atom (H) and one nonmetal atom (Cl).

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Oxyacid Noun

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[ok-see-as-id]

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Oxyacid

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An acid that contains hydrogen, oxygen, and at least one other element, which is bonded to the oxygen.

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Example: This chart shows how to name a series of oxyacids, like hypochlorous acid, by relating their chemical formulas to the names of their corresponding anions.

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Oxyanion Noun

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[ok-see-an-eye-on]

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Oxyanion

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A negatively charged polyatomic ion that contains one or more oxygen atoms bonded to another central element.

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Example: This chart shows how to name oxyanions by changing prefixes and suffixes based on the number of oxygen atoms in the molecule.

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Polyatomic Ion Noun

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[pol-ee-uh-tom-ik eye-on]

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Polyatomic Ion

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A charged chemical species composed of two or more atoms covalently bonded together that acts as a single unit.

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Example: A polyatomic ion is a group of atoms bonded together that has an overall positive or negative charge, such as ammonium (NH₄⁺) or sulphate (SO₄²⁻).