A lot of chemists create compounds that we utilize in our everyday lives due to their accessibility and affordability. Most of these compounds are stable and will not cause any sudden danger due to their ionic bonds. Because of their bonds, these compounds are known as ionic compounds.
Ionic compounds are specific types of compounds that are generated when a chemist uses an ionic bond to form the said compound. This compound is very stable and is a direct juxtaposition of the covalent compound formed from covalent bonds.
Ionic compounds have their own naming conventions that scientists and chemists use to easily identify the components of said compounds. This is a very important concept to understand when one wants to model ionic compounds. Not only that but the components will also dictate the physical properties of the ionic compounds.
Begin by figuring out all the components of all the ions found in the ionic compound. This will help you easily identify the name of the cations and anions without getting confused.
The cations are the ions found in the ionic compound that hold the positive charge. If there is only one cation, you must identify the single cation in the compound. But if there are multiple cations or a compound acting as a cation then you must figure out all of their names. For example, if the Cation is H then it is simply going to be named Hydrogen. But if the cation is (NH3) it will be named ammonium. Note that there are special cases for specific elements, which are iron (Fe), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), lead(Pb) silver (Ag), chromium (Cr), and gold (Au).
The anion is the negative charge that will pair up with the cation resulting in a net neutral charge for the compound. The anion will be simply named the element with the suffix -ide (for monoatomic ions) and -ate (for polyatomic ions).
After you have supplied the names of all the ions in the compound, you must arrange them in such a way that cations precede the anions. An example of this would be sodium chloride (NaCl) where sodium (Na) comes before the chlorine ion (Cl).
One of the biggest properties of an ionic compound is its ability to conduct electricity in various states of matter. This means that if the ionic compound is in an aqueous form or is in a molten state, then it will be able to easily and effectively conduct electricity through its body. This quality exists in aqueous and molten ionic compounds because of the free-flow movement of all the ions in the compound. But if the ionic compound is in a solid state then it cannot conduct electricity due to the static position of all the ions in the compound.
Ionic compounds are very stable and will require great effort to split the atoms apart through dissolution. The ionic bond of the atoms in the compound causes the neutralization of all the charges of the compounds, which creates a very stable bond. Examples of ionic compounds used in our everyday life are table salt (sodium chloride or NaCl), baking soda (Naꜜ2HCO^3 or sodium bicarbonate), and Calcium nitride (Ca3N2). Most of these ionic compounds are stable and will not immediately separate or create a new mixture upon contact with air and water.
Yes, ionic compounds can generally become soluble when immersed in a polar substance. This is due to their ionic bonds and their neutral charges. But not all ionic compounds are safe to mix with water. Calcium nitride has a reaction with water that creates an invisible flammable gas that can irritate and corrode one’s lungs, which will inadvertently lead to lung disease or damage. Not only that, but calcium nitride also creates a gas that can spontaneously combust, after reacting with water molecules in the atmosphere. This means that most ionic compounds are water-soluble, but not all can be safely mixed with water.
Ionic compounds are a type of mixture and compound that people create when they mix two or more atoms or substances that will end up with an ionic bond. These types of compounds have their own nomenclature. Future scientists and chemists should understand and know the importance of ionic compounds and how to create and name said compounds in a lab.
