Polyatomic Ions, Monatomic Ions and Elements (Honors Chemistry; Nomenclature/Bonding Unit)

Polyatomic ions are groups of multiple atoms that have a charge (positive or negative). The symbols shown below
tell you what elements are in the ion, how many atoms of each, and the charge. For example, contains a
nitrogen atom, three oxygen atoms, and the entire group has a charge of -1.

Memorization Hints: Polyatomic Ions

 If you have two ions with similar names and the only difference is the number of oxygen atoms in your ion:
-ite means smaller number of O
-ate means larger number of O

 Hypo- (smallest) and Per- (largest) are used if there are four ions with similar names and different numbers of oxygen.

Positive Polyatomic Ions (Polyatomic Cations)

1+
Ammonium (NH4 +)
Hydronium (H3O+)

Negative Polyatomic Ions (Polyatomic Anions)

1-
Acetate (C2H3O2-)
Chlorate (ClO3-)
Chlorite (ClO2-)
Cyanide (CN-)
Dihydrogen phosphate (H2PO4-)
Hydrogen Carbonate or bicarbonate (HCO3-)
Hydrogen Sulfite or bisulfite (HSO3-) Remember that there are many online
Hydroxide (OH-) resources available on the classroom
Hypochlorite (ClO-) website. Use your flashcards from the
Nitrate (NO3-) summer assignment to help you memorize
Nitrite (NO2-) the required ions and elements.
Perchlorate (ClO4-)
Permanganate (MnO4-)
Thiocyanate (SCN-)

2-
Carbonate (CO32-)
Chromate (CrO42-)
Dichromate (Cr2O7 2- )
Hydrogen Phosphate (HPO4 2- )
Oxalate (C2O42-)
Peroxide (O2 2- )
Sulfate (SO4 2- )
Sulfite (SO3 2- )

3-
Arsenate (AsO4 3- )
Phosphate (PO4 3- )
Monatomic Ions:
Elements and Symbols List:
Hydrogen H Gallium Ga

Helium He Germanium Ge

Lithium Li Arsenic As

Beryllium Be Selenium Se

Boron B Bromine Br

Carbon C Krypton Kr

Nitrogen N Rubidium Rb

Oxygen O Strontium Sr

Fluorine F Yttrium Y

Neon Ne Zirconium Zr

Sodium Na Palladium Pd

Magnesium Mg Silver Ag

Aluminum Al Cadmium Cd

Silicon Si Tin Sn

Phosphorous P Antimony Sb

Sulfur S Tellurium Te

Chlorine Cl Iodine I

Argon Ar Xenon Xe

Potassium K Cesium Cs

Calcium Ca Barium Ba

Scandium Sc Tungsten W

Titanium Ti Platinum Pt

Vanadium V Gold Au

Chromium Cr Mercury Hg

Manganese Mn Thallium Tl

Iron Fe Lead Pb

Cobalt Co Bismuth Bi

Nickel Ni Radon Rn

Copper Cu Radium Ra

Zinc Zn Uranium U