5.

1 The names and formulae of compounds

Names of compounds:
Ionic: metals and another metal
1. If there are only two elements the name of the metal is given first and the non-metal
ends in -ide
Na2O sodium oxide
2. If there are three elements and the third one is oxygen it ends in --ate
CuSO4 Copper sulphate
Covalent: non-metals
1. If it contains hydrogen, it comes first
HCl hydrogen chloride
2. If not, the non-metal with the lower group number comes first and the other ends in ide
CO2 carbon dioxide
Finding the formulae:
Ionic:

Ionic compounds form giant lattices of atoms, and the formula shows the ratio of
atoms
NaCl sodium chloride (shows that there is one atom of sodium and one atom of
chlorine)
Na2O sodium oxide (shows that there are two atoms of sodium and one atom of
oxygen)

Covalent:

They show the exact number of atoms of each element in the molecule
H2O (has got 2 H and 1 O)
CH4 (has got 1C and 4 H)

The valency of an element is the number of electrons its atoms lose, gain or share, to form a
compound.
Writing formulae using valency (for covalent):

Write down the valencies for each element

Then their symbols
Work out their ratio according to their valencies
Hydrogen sulphide
H1 S2
2H
1S H2S

For ionic compounds make sure that the positive and negative charges balance out.

5.3 The masses of atoms, molecules and ions

Relative atomic mass:
To compare the different masses of atoms, scientists use Carbon-12 as their standard atom.
The mass of an atom compared with the carbon-12 atom is called relative atomic mass Ar
The Ar of an atom is its nucleon number the sum of protons and neutrons
Isotopes- to find the relative atomic mass of isotopes we find the average according to their
ratio:
35

Cl 75%

37

Cl 25%

ArCl = { (35 x 75) + (25 x 37) } / 100

The relative atomic mass of an element is the average mass of its isotopes compared to an
atom of carbon-12.
An ion has the same mass as the atom from which it is made.
Relative molecular mass and relative formula mass:
Relative molecular mass is the mass of molecules. Relative formula mass is the mass of ions.
To find the relative molecular mass, find the atomic mass of each atom multiplied by the number
if atoms. Adding them all together will give you the relative molecular mass.

5.4 Some calculations about masses and %

2 laws is chemistry:
1. Elements always react in the same ratio, to form a given compound
2. The total mass does not change in a chemical reaction the total mass of reactants =
total mass of products
These are important because they help you predict the amount that reacts and also the amount
of product that will form.
Calculating the % composition of a compound:

Write down the formula of the compound

Using Ar values, work out its molecular mass
Write the mass of the element as a fraction of the Mr
Multiply the fraction by 100% to get the %

Example:

Calculating the % purity and % impurity:

% purity of a substance = (mass of pure substance in it / total mass) x 100%
% impurity of a substance = (mass of impure substance in it / total mass) x 100%
Example: