Explore BrainMass

Explore BrainMass

    Chemical Nomenclature

    $7.47
    30 Pages | 5,795 Words

    The purpose of this book is to aid chemistry students in understanding how to name inorganic and organic chemical compounds, as well as inorganic and organic acids, bases and ions.

    This book is intended for students of introductory chemistry whether inorganic or organic, primarily at the college level.

    An Introduction to Chemical Nomenclature

    Many years ago, as an undergraduate I became confused about naming compounds in my chemistry classes. I tried asking other students and the professor but I still ended up just as confused as ever. Many years later, as a graduate student, I stumbled upon a great book that made important concepts easy to understand. That is what I hope this book will do for you.

    In order to understand the concepts presented in this eBook, an understanding of the basics of chemistry is required. Therefore, I will briefly review them. If you feel you need a more in depth review, please consult an introductory college chemistry textbook.

    A compound is a substance composed of 2 or more elements. For example, the compound water is made from 2 molecules of hydrogen and 1 molecule of oxygen.

    An element is a material that is composed of atoms that all have the same number of protons in the nucleus. All hydrogen atoms have 1 proton in the nucleus regardless of the number of atoms present. As found in nature, atoms have a charge of zero. When an atom loses or gains an electron it becomes an ion. An atom that loses electrons has a positive charge. The ion that results is termed a cation. An atom that gains electrons has a negative charge and is called an anion.

    There are two types of ions. Ions that come from one atom are called monatomic whereas ions that come from two or more atoms are called polyatomic. In compounds, the elements are held together by bonds. It is the arrangement of these bonds that produce behavior specific to each compound. It is the forming and breaking of bonds, and the interaction of the outer most electrons of each atom that cause reactions to occur or not occur.

    Each compound has specific unique characteristics due to the arrangement of the atoms and its electrons. Each element also has specific properties unique to that element, because each atom has a different number of protons, and electrons.