Name _________________________ Ionic Formulas
Ionic compounds are composed of cations (positive) and anions (negative) that are held
together by the attractive forces of oppositely charged ions. The formulas for ionic
compounds are always given as empirical formulas, or the lowest whole number ratios of
atoms. There are two basic types of ionic compounds: (1) Binary compounds, which
contain only a metal and a nonmetal; and (2) Terinary compounds, which contain at
least three different elements, one of which is a metal and one of which is a nonmetal.
The cations are usually electropositive metals that have lost some or all of their valence
electrons, while the anions are usually (or contain) electronegative nonmetal atoms.
When writing a formula, the amount of positive charge from the cations must equal the
amount of negative charge from the anions, resulting in no net charge. Starting with a
simple example, the formula that would result by combining a cation of 1+ charge and an
anion of 1- charge, as in Na+ and Cl-, obviously results in an empirical formula where the
ratio of cation to anion is 1:1. The resulting formula might be written as Na1Cl1, but by
convention we write the formula as NaCl, with the implied subscripts of one. Likewise
you should note that we do not usually write the integer 1 in front of the charge of
monocations and monoanions, for the very same reason. If the cation is 2+ and the anion
is 2-, as in Ca2+ and O2-, the lowest whole number ratio is again 1:1 and the empirical
formula is CaO. The potential difficulty comes when the integer values of the charges
are not the same. If one were to combine a 2+ cation with a 1- anion, as in Ca2+ and Cl-,
it is fairly obvious that a 1:2 ratio of cation to anion is required, resulting in the formula
CaCl2. But what if we combine a 3+ cation with a 2- anion, as with Al3+ and O2-. We
must then find the lowest whole number that is divisible by both 2 and 3, i.e. 6. If we
combine two Al3+ ions and three O2- ions, and use subscripts to indicate the number of
each ion in the formula, we obtain Al2O3 as the empirical formula.
The easiest method to determine the formula for an ionic compound, when given the
component ions, is to use the criss-cross method. This method is based on the fact that
the number in front of the charge of the opposite ion will be the subscript in the resulting
formula, as shown in the example below.
Al3+ and O2-
Al2O3
This method works well for most ionic compounds, with one exception. When
combining cations and anions with the same integer charges that are greater than one, the
resulting criss-cross does not provide an empirical formula, and the ratio must be reduced
to the simplest whole number ratio. For example, combining Ca2+ and O2- using the criss-
cross method gives Ca2O2, which when reduced to the lowest whole number ratio gives
CaO.
When writing the formulas for compounds that contain more than one polyatomic ion,
parentheses must be used around the polyatomic ion in the formula. For example, when
combining Fe2+ and SO42-, the resulting formula is Fe2(SO4)3, not Fe2SO43.
© Van Der Sluys, 2004
Name _________________________ Ionic Formulas
Write the formula that results from combining the following ions.
1. K+ and Br- __________________
2. Li+ and O2-- __________________
3. Ca2+ and Cl-- __________________
4. Al3+ and S2- __________________
5. Fe2+ and S2- __________________
6. Na+ and NO3- __________________
7. Na+ and SO42- __________________
8. NH4+ and CO32- __________________
9. Fe3+ and CrO42- __________________
10. Al3+ and PO43- __________________
Determine the formulas and charges of the cation and anion in the following ionic
compounds.
Cation Anion
11. CsCl ________ ________
12. CaF2 ________ ________
13. NaOH ________ ________
14. Ca(OH)2 ________ ________
15. KNO3 ________ ________
16. Fe(NO3)2 ________ ________
17. Fe2O3 ________ ________
18. Al2(SO4)3 ________ ________
19. CaCO3 ________ ________
20. FeO ________ ________
© Van Der Sluys, 2004
Name _________________________ Ionic Formulas
Answers
1. KBr
2. Li2O
3. CaCl2
4. Al2S3
5. FeS
6. NaNO3
7. Na2SO4
8. (NH4)2CO3
9. Fe2(CrO4)3
10. AlPO4
11. Cs+ and Cl-
12. Ca2+ and F-
13. Na+ and OH-
14. Ca2+ and OH-
15. K+ and NO3-
16. Fe3+ and NO3-
17. Fe3+ and O2-
18. Al3+ and SO42-
19. Ca2+ and CO32-
20. Fe2+ and O2-
© Van Der Sluys, 2004
