Compounds and Chemical Formulas

Molecules and Compounds
Compounds and Chemical

Formulas
Forming Compounds
Sodium is an extremely
reactive metal that dulls
almost instantly upon
exposure to air.
Forming Compounds
Chlorine is a yellow gas
with a pungent odor. It is
highly reactive and
poisonous.
Forming Compounds
The compound formed
by sodium and chlorine
is table salt.
The properties of a compound are, in
general, different from the properties
of the elements that compose it.
Forming Compounds
In a compound, the elements combine
in fixed, definite proportions.
 The law of definite proportions (Proust)
▪ Also known as the law of constant
composition
Chemical Formulas
A chemical formula indicates the elements present in a
compound and the relative number of atoms of each.
 For example, H2O is the chemical formula for water; it
indicates that water consists of hydrogen and oxygen
atoms in a 2:1 ratio.
The formula contains the symbol for each element,
accompanied by a subscript indicating the number of
atoms of that element. By convention, a subscript of 1
is omitted.
Chemical Formulas
What are the element ratios for these
common chemical formulas:
 NaCl
 CO2
 C12H22O11
Chemical Formulas
The subscripts in a chemical formula are
part of the compound’s definition—if
they change, the formula no longer
specifies the same compound.
Chemical Formulas
Chemical formulas list the most metallic
elements first.
 The formula for table salt is NaCl, not
ClNa.
In compounds that do not include a
metal, the more metal-like element is
listed first.
Chemical Formulas
Among nonmetals, those to the left in the
periodic table are more metal-like than those
to the right and are normally listed first.
 We write NO2 and NO, not O2N and ON.
Within a single column in the periodic table,
elements toward the bottom are more metal-
like than elements toward the top.
 We write SO2, not O2S.
Chemical Formulas
There are a few historical exceptions in

which the most metallic element is not
listed first, such as the hydroxide ion,
which is written as OH–.
Practice
Write a chemical formula for each
compound:
 The compound containing two aluminum
atoms to every three oxygen atoms
 The compound containing three oxygen
atoms to every sulfur atom
 The compound containing four chlorine atoms
to every carbon atom
Polyatomic Ions
Some chemical formulas contain groups of
atoms that act as a unit. When several groups
of the same kind are present, their formula is
set off in parentheses with a subscript to
indicate the number of that group.
 Mg(NO3)2 indicates a compound containing one
magnesium atom (present as the Mg2+ ion) and two
NO3– groups.
Polyatomic Ions
Many of these groups of atoms have a
charge associated with them and are called
polyatomic ions.
To determine the total number of each type
of atom in a compound containing a group
within parentheses, multiply the subscript
outside the parentheses by the subscript for
each atom inside the parentheses.
Practice
Mg(NO3)2
 Mg = ____
 NO3 = ____
▪ N = ____
▪ O = ____
Practice
Mg3(PO4)2
 Mg = ____
 P = ____
 O = ____
Practice
Al2(SO4)3
 Al = ____
 S = ____
 O = ____
Types of Chemical Formulas
An empirical formula gives the relative number
of atoms of each element in a compound.
A molecular formula gives the actual number
of atoms of each element in a molecule of the
compound.
A structural formula uses lines to represent
chemical bonds and shows how the atoms in a
molecule are connected to each other.
For hydrogen peroxide:
 Molecular formula: H2O2
 Empirical formula: HO
The molecular formula is always a whole-
number multiple of the empirical formula.
 For many compounds, such as H2O, the
molecular formula is the same as the empirical
formula.
A structural formula uses lines to
represent chemical bonds and shows
how the atoms in a molecule are
connected to each other.
 For hydrogen peroxide:
HOOH
Molecular models: three-
dimensional representations of
molecules that are used to
represent compounds.
We use two types of molecular
models:
 ball-and-stick
 space-filling
In ball-and-stick models, we
represent atoms as balls and
chemical bonds as sticks.
The balls and sticks are
connected to represent the
molecule’s shape. The balls are
color coded, and each element is
assigned a color.
In space-filing models, atoms fill the
space between each other to more
closely represent our best idea for how
a molecule might appear if we could
scale it to a visible size.
Let’s take a look at methane:
Identifying Substances
Pure substances may be either
elements or compounds.
Elements may be either atomic or
molecular.
Compounds may be either molecular or
ionic.
Atomic Elements:
 Elements that occur as
single atoms
 Monoatomic
 Most elements
Molecular Elements:
 Elements that occur in
pairs
 Diatomic
 Seven elements
Molecular compounds are compounds
formed from two or more nonmetals.
Ionic compounds
contain one or more
cation paired with one
or more anion.
 In most cases, the cations
are metals and the anions
are nonmetals.
When a metal combines with a nonmetal,
one or more electrons transfer from the
metal to the nonmetal, creating positive
and negative ions that are attracted to
each other.
A compound composed of a metal and a
nonmetal is considered ionic.
The basic unit of ionic compounds is the
formula unit.
Unlike molecular compounds, ionic
compounds do not contain individual
molecules but rather cations and anions
in an alternating three-dimensional
array.
Practice
 Classify each substance as an atomic element,
molecular element, molecular compound, or ionic
compound:
 Krypton
 CoCl2
 Nitrogen
 SO2
 KNO3
Water - Formula: H2O = Hydrogen2 + Oxygen
Hydrogen Peroxide - Formula: H2O2 =
Hydrogen2 + Oxygen2
Salt - Formula: NaCl = Sodium + Chlorine
Baking Soda - Formula: NaHCO3 = Sodium +
Hydrogen + Carbon + Oxygen3
Octane - Formula: C8H18 = Carbon8 + Hydrogen18

Compounds and Chemical Formulas

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Compounds and Chemical Formulas

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Compounds and Chemical Formulas

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Molecules and Compounds

Compounds and Chemical

There are a few historical exceptions in

You might also like