Grade 8 Chemistry: Chemical Bonding: Naming Acids 

Question: How to name the acids?
Mnemonic devices are great for remembering how to fit the pieces together. First, a little vocab review:

• cation - positively charged ion. The cation comes first in a chemical formula!
  
• anion - negatively charged ion.
• polyatomic ion - ion with more than one type of atom. Cl- is NOT a polyatomic ion, OH- is.
  

Bronsted-Lowry acid - donates a proton (H+), Bronsted-Lowry base - accepts a proton (H+), Arrhenius acid - donates an H+, Arrhenius base - donates an OH-

• If an acid contains a polyatomic ion that ends in "-ate" like sulfate, phosphate, or carbonate, the acid name will end in "-ic". H2SO4 = sulfATE ion = sulfurIC acid
  

• If an acid contains a polyatomic ion that ends in "-ite" like sulfite, phosphite, or hypochlorite, the acid name will end in "-ous". H2SO3 = sulfITE ion = sulfurOUS acid

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