HOW TO WRITE A CHEMICAL EQUATION

In chemistry terms the equation is the recipe,

 the ingredients are "reactants," and
 the cookies are "products."
All chemical equations look something like "A + B →C (+ D...)," in which each letter variable is an element
or a molecule (a collection of atoms held together by chemical bonds).
 The arrow represents the reaction or change taking place.
 Some equations may have a double-headed arrow (↔), which indicates that the reaction can proceed
either forward or backward.
There are two types of compounds
1. Covalent compound-Covalent, or molecular, compounds generally result from two non-metals reacting
with each other. The elements form a compound by sharing electrons, resulting in an electrically neutral
molecule. Water, sucrose, and DNA are examples of covalent compounds.
2. Ionic compound-Ionic compounds are made up of electrically charged atoms or molecules as a result of
gaining or losing electrons. Ions of opposite charges form ionic compounds, usually as a result of a metal
reacting with a non-metal.

PART 1-WRITING CHEMICAL FORMULAS OF COVALENT COMPOUNDS

1. Memorize the prefixes for number of atoms. In naming compounds, Greek prefixes are used to indicate the number
of atoms present for each element. Covalent compounds are written out as molecular formulas due to the fact that
each compound is a distinct, separate molecule. Covalent compounds have the first element written out completely

while the second element is named with the suffix “ide.” For example, diphosphorus trisulfide has a chemical
formula of P2S3. Below are the prefixes for 1-10:
1: Mono-
2: Di-
3: Tri-
4: Tetra-
5: Penta-
6: Hexa-
7: Hepta-
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 8: Octa-
9: Nona-
10: Deca-

2. Write the chemical symbol for the first element. When a compound has been written out, you must
identify the elements and know their chemical symbols. The first element written is “first name” of the
compound. Use the periodic table to find the chemical symbol for the element.
For example: Dinitrogen hexafluoride. The first element is nitrogen and the chemical symbol for nitrogen
is N.

3. Add the number of atoms as a subscript. To identify the number of atoms, present for each element, you
simply need to look at the prefix of the element. Memorizing the Greek prefixes will help you to be able
to write chemical formulas quickly without looking anything up.
For example: Dinitrogen has a prefix “di- “which means 2; therefore, there are 2 atoms of nitrogen
present.
Write dinitrogen as N2.

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4. Write the chemical symbol for the second element. The second element is the “last name” of the
compound and will follow the first element. For covalent compounds, the element name will have a suffix
of “-ide” instead of the normal ending of the element.
 For example: Dinitrogen hexafluoride. The second element is fluorine. Simply replace the “ide” ending
with the actual element name. The chemical symbol for fluorine is F.

5. Add the number of atoms present as a subscript. As you did with the first element, identify the number
of atoms present in the second element by reading the prefix. Using this prefix, write the number of
atoms as a subscript to the right of the chemical symbol.
 For example: Hexafluoride has a prefix of “hexa-“which means 6; therefore, there are 6 atoms of
fluorine present.
 Write hexafluoride as F6.
 The final chemical formula for dinitrogen hexafluoride is N2F6.

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6. Practice with some examples. When first learning chemistry, there is a lot of memorization involved. It is
kind of like learning a new language. The more examples you practice with, the easier it will be to
decipher chemical formulas in the future and learn the language of chemistry.
 Sulfur dioxide: SO2
 Carbon tetrabromide: CBr4
 Diphosphorus pentoxide: P2O5

PART 2-WRITING CHEMICAL FORMULAS OF IONIC COMPOUNDS

1. Identify the chemical symbols for the cations and anions. All chemicals have what you can call a first
and last name. The first name is the cation (positive ion) while the last name is the anion (negative
ion). Cations are written as the element name while anions are the element name ending with the
suffix “ide.”
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 The chemical symbol for each element can be found on the periodic table.
 Unlike covalent compounds, Greek prefixes are not used to indicate the number of atoms of each
element. You have to balance the charges of the elements to determine the atoms.
 For example: Lithium oxide is Li2O.

2. Recognize polyatomic ions. Sometimes the cation or anion is a polyatomic ion. These are molecules
that have two or more atoms with ionic groups. There’s no good trick to remembering these, you just
need to memorize them.
 There are only 3 cation polyatomic ions and they are ammonium (NH4+), hydronium (H3+), and
mercury(I) (Hg22+). They all have a +1 charge (though, technically, 2 mercury atoms are bonded
together, which creates a 2+ charge, with each mercury cation containing a 1+ charge).
 The rest of the polyatomic ions have negative charges ranging from -1 to -4. Some common ones are
carbonate (CO32-), sulphate (SO42-), nitrate (NO3-), and chromate (CrO42-).

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3. Determine the valence charge of each element. The valence charge can be determined by looking at
the position of the element on the periodic table. There are a few rules to keep in mind that help you
identify the charges:
 All group 1 elements at +1.
 All group 2 elements are +2.
 Transition elements will have Roman numerals in parentheses to indicate their charge.
 Silver is 1+, zinc is 2+, and aluminium is 3+.
 Group 17 elements are 1-.
 Group 16 elements are 2-.
 Group 15 elements are 3-.
 Remember, when working with polyatomic ions, use the charge of the complete polyatomic ion, rather
than the individual ions.

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4. Balance the positive and negative charges of the ions. Once you have identified the charge of each
element (or polyatomic ion), you will use these charges to determine the number of atoms present
of each element. You want the charge of the compound to equal zero so you will add atoms to balance
the charges.
 For example: Lithium Oxide. Lithium is a group 1 element and has a +1 charge. Oxygen is a group
16 element and has a 2- charge. In order to balance the 2- charge of the oxygen, you need 2 atoms
of lithium; therefore, the chemical formula of lithium oxide is Li2O.

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 5. Practice with some examples. The best way to learn formula writing is to practice with lots of
examples. Use examples in your chemistry book or look for practice sets online. Do as many as you
can until you feel comfortable writing chemical formulas.
 Calcium Nitride: Symbol for calcium is Ca and symbol of nitrogen is N. Ca is a group 2 element and
has a charge of +2. Nitrogen is a group 15 element and has a charge of 3-. To balance this, you need
3 atoms of calcium (6+) and 2 atoms of nitrogen (6-): Ca3N2.
 Mercury (II) Phosphate: Symbol for Mercury is Hg and phosphate is the polyatomic ion PO4. Mercury
has a 2+ charge as indicated by the Roman numeral II next to it. Phosphate has a 3- charge. In order
to balance them, you will need 3 atoms of mercury (6+) and 2 molecules of phosphate (6-):
Hg3(PO4)2.

PART 3-DETERMINING THE PRODUCTS GIVEN REACTANTS

1. Identify all of the cations and anions in the reactants. In a basic double replacement
equation, you will have 2 cations and 2 anions.
The general equation takes the form of AB + CD → AD + CB, where A and C are cations and
B and D are anions. You also want to determine the charges of each ion.
 For example: AgNO3 + NaCl →?
 The cations are Ag+1 and Na+1. The anions are NO31- and Cl1-.

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2. Switch the ions to build the products. Once you have identified all of the ions and their
charges, rearrange them so that the first cation is now paired with the second anion, and the
second cation is now paired with the first anion.
Remember the equation: AB + CD → AD + CB.
 Remember to balance the charges when forming new compounds.
 For example: AgNO3 + NaCl →?
 Ag+1 now pairs with Cl1- to form AgCl.
 Na+1 now pairs with NO31- to form NaNO3.

3. Write the full equation. After writing the products that will form in the equation, you can
write the whole equation with both products and reactants. Keep the reactants on the left
side of the equation and write the new products on the right side with a plus sign between
them.
 For example: AgNO3 + NaCl --> ?
 AgNO3 + NaCl --> AgCl + NaNO3

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4. Balance the equation. Once you have written the equation and have all of the products and
reactants you need to make sure everything is balanced. An equation is balanced only when
you have the same number of atoms of every element present on both sides.[14]
 For example: AgNO3 + NaCl --> AgCl + NaNO3
 Count the number of atoms on each side: 1 Ag left, 1 Ag right; 1 N left, 1 N right; 3 O left,
3 O right; 1 Na left, 1 Na right; 1 Cl left, 1 Cl right
 This equation is balanced because there are equal numbers of atoms on both the left and
right side of the equation.
5. Note the states of matter. It’s important to indicate the states of matter for both the reactants
and the products. There is a designated letter for each state of matter which goes in
parentheses. Put this information after the formula of the substance it is describing.[15]
 Use “(g)” to indicate a gas, “(s)” to indicate a solid, “(l)” to indicate a liquid, and “(aq)” to
indicate a substance dissolved in water.

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6. Practice with some examples. The only way to get better at writing chemical equations is to
actually do it. Work your way through these examples to make sure you really understand
the process.
 NiCl2 + (NH4)2S → ?
 Cations: Ni2+ and NH4+
 Anions: Cl1- and S2-
 Recombine ions to make new products: NiS + NH4Cl
 Write the equation: NiCl2 + (NH4)2S → NiS + NH4Cl
 Balance the equation: NiCl2 + (NH4)2S → NiS + 2NH4Cl

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Periodic Table

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The metals list which makes up the periodic table includes iron, lead, gold, aluminium, platinum, uranium,
zinc, lithium, sodium, tin, silver, etc.
The non-metals list which makes up the periodic table includes hydrogen, helium, carbon, sulphur, nitrogen,
oxygen, radon, neon, other halogens, and noble gases etc.

When we study the elements, it is important to know which elements are metals and which ones are not. If
you are trying to learn to distinguish between metals and non-metals, a list and their uses is a good way to
break them down and help memorize the difference between the two. The good news is that most elements
are metals. A useful way to approach the study of elements is to distinguish whether they are metal or non-
metal. Metals share some common properties. So, knowing what are those properties is a good way to begin
our study.

What Is A Metal?
As stated in the introduction, most elements are metals or, at least, can be considered as such. Knowing
which ones are or are not will help us to group them correctly. Before going over the complete list of metals,
it is important that we define what is a metal.
There are five different kinds of metals:
 Alkali Metals.
 Alkali Earths.
 Transition Metals.
 Lanthanides.
 Actinides.
All metal elements are placed together in the periodic table.
There are several properties that make most elements metals. An element needs to share several of these
properties in order to be considered a metal. It is important to become familiarized with the different
properties. Not all properties are shared by all metals, but all elements that shared several of these properties
can be considered metals.

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What Are the Common Properties of Metals?
 Most metals have a solid state when they are at room temperature.
The only exception to this property, in fact, is mercury. Mercury is the only metal that is always liquid
no matter the temperature. So, it stays at a liquid stay even at room temperature.
 Generally, high melting point.
 a metal is shiny.
 a good conductor of heat and electricity.
 They have low ionization energies and low electronegativities.
 they are malleable. This means that metals are relatively easy to be broken up into sheets.
 Also, most metals can be made into wire i.e. they are ductile.
With the exception of potassium, lithium, and sodium, most metals have a high density.
 they corrode when exposed to seawater or air.
 most metal elements lose electrons during reactions.
There is one non-metal element that can sometimes act as a metal. This is hydrogen that, when exposed to
either extremely high or extremely low temperatures, can display some of these common properties.

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The Complete List of Metals
Now that we have established the properties that make most elements on the periodic table into metals, we
can now present the complete list of metal elements:
Element Symbol Number In Element Symbol Number In Element Symbol Number In
Periodic Table Periodic Table Periodic
Table
Lithium Li 3 Indium In 49 Bismuth Bi 83
Beryllium Be 4 Tin Sn 50 Polonium Po 84
Sodium Na 11 Cesium Cs 55 Francium Fr 87
Magnesium Mg 12 Barium Ba 56 Radium Ra 88
Aluminum Al 13 Lanthanum La 57 Actinium Ac 89
Potassium K 19 Cerium Ce 58 Thorium Th 90
Calcium Ca 20 Praseodymium Pr 59 Protactinium Pa 91
Scandium Sc 21 Neodymium Nd 60 Uranium U 92
Titanium Ti 22 Promethium Pm 61 Neptunium Np 93
Vanadium V 23 Samarium Sm 62 Plutonium Pu 94
Chromium Cr 24 Europium Eu 63 Americium Am 95
Manganese Mn 25 Gadolinium Gd 64 Curium Cm 96
Iron Fe 26 Terbium Tb 65 Berkelium Bk 97
Cobalt Co 27 Dysprosium Dy 66 Californium Cf 98
Nickel Ni 28 Holmium Ho 67 Einsteinium Es 99
Copper Cu 29 Erbium Er 68 Fermium Fm 100
Zinc Zn 30 Thulium Tm 69 Mendelevium Md 101
Gallium Ha 31 Ytterbium Yb 70 Nobelium No 102
Rubidium Rb 37 Lutetium Lu 71 Lawrencium Lr 103
Strontium Sr 38 Hafnium Hf 72 Rutherfordium Rf 104
Yttrium Y 39 Tantalum Ta 73 Dubnium Db 105
Zirconium Zr 40 Tungsten W 74 Seaborgium Sg 106
Niobium Nb 41 Rhenium Re 75 Bohrium Bh 107
Molybdenum Mo 42 Osmium Os 76 Hassium Hs 108
Technetium Tc 43 Iridium Ir 77 Meitnerium Mt 109
Ruthenium Ru 44 Platinum Pt 78 Darmstadtium Ds 110
Rhodium Rh 45 Gold Au 79 Roentgenium Rg 111
Palladium Pd 46 Mercury Hg 80 Copernicium Cn 112
Silver Ag 47 Thallium Tl 81 Ununtrium Uut 113
Cadmium Cd 48 Lead PB 82 Flevorium Fl 114
Livermorium Lv 116

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The Complete List of Non-Metals
Non-Metals can be defined simply by having the opposite properties of metals.
For example,
 they are not malleable,
 they have relatively low density,
 they are dull, and
 they are poor conductors of heat and electricity, etc.
Element Element Symbol Number In Periodic Table

Hydrogen H 1
Helium He 2
Carbon C 6
Nitrogen N 7
Oxygen O 8
Fluorine F 9
Neon Ne 10
Phosphorus P 15
Sulfur S 16
Chlorine Cl 17
Argon Ar 18
Selenium Se 34
Bromine Br 35
Krypton Kr 36
Iodine I 53
Xenon Xe 54
Astatine At 85
Radon Rn 117
Oganesson Og 118

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Name and Formulae of Common Ions
Cations Anions
Charge Formula Name Charge Formula Name
Na+ sodium ion H- hydride ion
K+ potassium ion Cl- chloride ion
Cu+ copper(I) ion Br- bromide ion
Ag +
silver ion I -
iodide ion
Hg +
mercury(I) ion OH -
hydroxide ion
H+ hydrogen ion NO3- nitrate ion
1+ NH4+ ammonia ion 1- NO2- nitrite ion
HCO3- hydrogencarbonate
HSO4- hydrogensulphate
CN- cyanide
MnO4- permengante
ClO3- chlorate
ClO- chlorite
Mg2+ magnesium ion O2- oxide
Ca2+ calcium ion S2- sulpide
Ba2+ barium ion SO42- sulphate
Pb2+ lead (II) ion SO32- sulphite
Fe 2+
iron (II) ion S2O32- thiosulphate
2+ Co 2+
cobalt (II) ion 2- SiO32-
silicate
Ni2+ nickel (II) ion CO32- carbonate
Mn2+ manganese (II) ion CrO42- chromate
Cu2+ copper (II) ion Cr2O72- dichromate
Zn2+ zinc ion
Hg2+ mercury (II) ion
Al3+ aluminium ion N3- nitride ion
3+ Fe3+ iron (III) ion 3- P3- phosphide ion
Cr3+ chromium ion PO43- phosphate ion

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COMMON CATIONS: (ions grouped by charge)
Name Formula Other name(s)
Aluminum Al+3
Ammonium NH4+
Barium Ba+2
Calcium Ca+2
Chromium (II) Cr+2 Chromous
Chromium (III) Cr+3 Chromic
Copper(I) Cu+ Cuprous
Copper (II) Cu+2 Cupric
Iron (II) Fe+2 Ferrous
Iron (III) Fe+3 Ferric
Hydrogen H+
Hydronium H3O+
Lead (II) Pb+2
Lithium Li+
Magnesium Mg+2
Manganese (II) Mn+2 Manganous
Manganese (III) Mn+3 Manganic
Mercury(I) Hg2+2 Mercurous
Mercury (II) Hg+2 Mercuric
Nitronium NO2+
Potassium K+
Silver Ag+
Sodium Na+
Strontium Sr+2
Tin (II) Sn+2 Stannous
Tin (IV) Sn+4 Stannic
Zinc Zn+2

COMMON ANIONS: (ions grouped by charge) (anions grouped by periodic position)

Simple ions: Symbol
Hydride H-
Fluoride F-
Chloride Cl-
Bromide Br-
Iodide I-
Oxide O2-
Sulfide S2-
Nitride N3-

Oxoanions: Symbol
Arsenate AsO43-
Arsenite AsO33-
Phosphate PO43-
Hydrogen phosphate HPO42-
Dihydrogen phosphate H2PO4-
Sulfate SO42-
Hydrogen sulfate HSO4-
Thiosulfate S2O32-
Sulfite SO32-
Nitrate NO3-

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Oxoanions: Symbol
Nitrite NO2-
Perchlorate ClO4-
Chlorate ClO3-
Chlorite ClO2-
Hypochlorite OCl-
Iodate IO3-
Bromate BrO3-
Hypobromite OBr-
Carbonate CO32-
Hydrogen carbonate or Bicarbonate HCO3-
Chromate CrO42-
Dichromate Cr2O72-

Anions from Organic Acids: Symbol

Acetate CH3COO-
formate HCOO-

Others: Symbol
Cyanide CN-
Cyanate OCN-
Thiocyanate SCN-
Hydroxide OH-
Amide NH2-
Peroxide O22-
Oxalate C2O42-
Permanganate MnO4-

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Worksheets: Give either the name or formula (with the correct charge) for each of the cations:
Name Formula Name Formula
Zn+2 chromium (II)
mercury (II) H3O+
ferric manganese (II)
hydrogen Sr+2
Ag +
nitronium
barium stannic
Mg+2 mercuric
chromic Fe+3
copper(I) Ca+2
sodium lead (II)
calcium Mn+3
Sn+2 NH4+
NO2+ K+
manganous hydronium
Cr+3
tin (IV)
Hg2+2 ferrous
strontium Cu+2
Cu+ chromous
manganic Li+
magnesium mercury(I)
stannous manganese (III)
cuprous Fe+2
iron (III) Ba+2
H+ Cr+2
potassium iron (II)
Pb +2
Hg+2
lithium cupric
Mn +2
mercurous
ammonium Sn+4
Na+ chromium (III)
silver zinc
tin (II) copper (II)

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Worksheets: Give either the name or formula (with the correct charge) for each of the anions:
Name Formula Name Formula
hypobromite PO43-
F- formate
acetate carbonate
bromide NO2-
BrO3- amide
HCOO -
sulfate
dichromate H-
Cl- iodate
C2O4 2-
NO3-
chlorate HCO3-
arsenate CrO42-
SO32- phosphate
peroxide SCN-
AsO33- permanganate
OCN- HSO4-
cyanide chromate
hydride H2PO4-
N3- chloride
SO4 2-
nitrate
hydrogen sulfate arsenite
S2O32- fluoride
sulfite Br-
OH- iodide
thiocyanate IO3-
MnO4- sulfide
chlorite O2-
OCl- OBr-
nitride hydrogen phosphate
CO32- ClO2-
hydrogen carbonate or bicarbonate Cr2O72-
oxalate bromate
nitrite S2-
CH3COO- ClO4-
HPO42- AsO43-
oxide I-
CN- NH2-
cyanate O22-
ClO3- dihydrogen phosphate
thiosulfate hypochlorite
hydroxide perchlorate

Answers- Cations

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Name Formula Name Formula
zinc Zn +2
chromium(II) Cr+2
mercury(II) Hg+2 hydronium H3O+
ferric Fe+3 manganese(II) Mn+2
hydrogen H+ strontium Sr+2
silver Ag+ nitronium NO2+
barium Ba+2 stannic Sn+4
magnesium Mg+2 mercuric Hg+2
chromic Cr+3 iron(III) Fe+3
copper(I) Cu+ calcium Ca+2
sodium Na+ lead(II) Pb+2
calcium Ca+2 manganese(III) Mn+3
tin(II) Sn+2 ammonium NH4+
nitronium NO2+ potassium K+
manganous Mn+2 hydronium H3O+
chromium(III) Cr+3 tin(IV) Sn+4
mercury(I) Hg2+2 ferrous Fe+2
strontium Sr+2 copper(II) Cu+2
copper(I) Cu+ chromous Cr+2
manganic Mn+3 lithium Li+
magnesium Mg+2 mercury(I) Hg2+2
stannous Sn+2 manganese(III) Mn+3
cuprous Cu+ iron(II) Fe+2
iron(III) Fe+3 barium Ba+2
hydrogen H+ chromium(II) Cr+2
potassium K+ iron(II) Fe+2
lead(II) Pb+2 mercury(II) Hg+2
lithium Li+ cupric Cu+2
manganese(II) Mn+2 mercurous Hg2+2
ammonium NH4+ tin(IV) Sn+4
sodium Na+ chromium(III) Cr+3
silver Ag+ zinc Zn+2
tin(II) Sn+2 copper(II) Cu+2

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Answers- Anions

Name Formula Name Formula

hypobromite OBr- phosphate PO43-
fluoride F- formate HCOO-
acetate CH3COO- carbonate CO32-
bromide Br- nitrite NO2-
bromate BrO3- amide NH2-
formate HCOO- sulfate SO42-
dichromate Cr2O72- hydride H-
chloride Cl- iodate IO3-
oxalate C2O42- nitrate NO3-
chlorate ClO3- hydrogen carbonate HCO3-
arsenate AsO43- chromate CrO42-
sulfite SO32- phosphate PO43-
peroxide O22- thiocyanate SCN-
arsenite AsO33- permanganate MnO4-
cyanate OCN- hydrogen sulfate HSO4-
cyanide CN- chromate CrO42-
hydride H- dihydrogen phosphate H2PO4-
nitride N3- chloride Cl-
sulfate SO42- nitrate NO3-
hydrogen sulfate HSO4- arsenite AsO33-
thiosulfate S2O32- fluoride F-
sulfite SO32- bromide Br-
hydroxide OH- iodide I-
thiocyanate SCN- iodate IO3-
permanganate MnO4- sulfide S2-
chlorite ClO2- oxide O2-
hypochlorite OCl- hypobromite OBr-
nitride N3- hydrogen phosphate HPO42-
carbonate CO32- chlorite ClO2-
hydrogen carbonate or bicarbonate HCO3- dichromate Cr2O72-
oxalate C2O42- bromate BrO3-
nitrite NO2- sulfide S2-
acetate CH3COO- perchlorate ClO4-
hydrogen phosphate HPO42- arsenate AsO43-
oxide O2- iodide I-
cyanide CN- amide NH2-
cyanate OCN- peroxide O22-
chlorate ClO3- dihydrogen phosphate H2PO4-
thiosulfate S2O32- hypochlorite OCl-
hydroxide OH- perchlorate ClO4-

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