How to tell from the name if a compound is ionic: QUESTION: Which of the following is an ionic compound? A. ethyl acetate, B. sulfuric acid C. sodium hydrogen carbonate, D. hydrazine How to tell from the name if a compound is ionic: Two parts: name of cation first, then name of anion Cation part: name of a metallic element, or ammonium NOTE: anions name may consist of one or two words: example: HCO3- is “bicarbonate” or “hydrogen carbonate.” Sodium hydrogen carbonate” is ionic. SCRIPT: Which of the following is an ionic compound? A. ethyl acetate, B. sulfuric acid C. sodium hydrogen carbonate, D. hydrazine PAUSE CLICK We can easily tell from the name of a compound if it is ionic The name of an ionic compound consists of two parts. The first part is always the name of the cation And the second part is the name of the anion. Most cations are derived from metallic elements. HIGHLIGHT metallic Besides these, the only commonly occurring cation is ammonium. HIGHLIGHT ammonium So, the first thing we need to do is look for is the name of a metallic element. We see this in choice C. Sodium is a metallic element. HIGHLIGHT sodium Therefore, the correct answer is choice C, Sodium hydrogen carbonate, is an ionic compound. The cation in this compound is sodium ion. CALLOUT “Na+” pointing to sodium in choice C CLICK Note that names of anions may consist of one word… or two words as in the case we have here. The “hydrogen carbonate” part of the name given in choice C refers to HCO3 with a –1 charge. CALLOUT “HCO3-” pointing to “hydrogen carbonate” in choice C It’s also called bicarbonate. Sodium hydrogen carbonate is, in fact, more commonly called sodium bicarbonate. It’s the compound you find in baking soda. CLICK PAUSE END RECORDING

Video ID: 1-23-2 © 2008, Project VALUE (Video Assessment Library for Undergraduate Education), Department of Physical Sciences Nicholls State University Author: Glenn V. Lo Narrator: Funded by Louisiana Board of Regents Contract No. LA-DL-SELECT-13-07/08