Chapter 6

Ions and Ionic Compounds

Ions are atoms or croups of atoms that have a positive or negative charge. Ions form when an
atom or group of atoms loses or gains elections.
A cation is any atom or group of atoms that has a positive charge. (+)
An anion is any atom or group of atoms that have a negative chare. (-)
Ionic Compounds are composed of cations and anions. (When a negative and a positive join)

Chemical Formulas
Chemical Formulas show the kinds and numbers of atoms in the smallest representative unit in
the substance. The subscript represents the number of atoms of that element in a compound.
There are chemical formulas for ionic compounds.
Ex. Sodium chloride ~ Na+ + Cl- > NaCl
magnesium chloride ~ Mg2+ + Cl-2 >MgCl2 (Positive and negative cancel each other out)
Monatomic Ions are ions consisting of only on kind of atom. The ionic charge can be determined
using the periodic table.
Look at the location of groups 1A, 2A, 3A (Al only), 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7A. Subtract the group number
from 8.
Any less than 4 want to give away ions. 4 can go either way. Above 4 want to take more.
Ex. Group 1, 2, and 3 want to give away. 5, 6 and 7 want to take.
1A + 1 2A + 2 3A + 3
4A – 2 5A – 3 6A – 2 7A - 1
Other elements in 4A (Carbon and Silicon) are mostly found in molecular compounds.

Naming and Writing Compounds

Groups 1A-2A-3A
Metal + non- metal
Name the metal first
Change the ending of the non-metal to “…ide”
Ex. Sodium chloride, NaCl