RULES

FOR WRITING
CHEMICAL FORMULAE
Chemical Compounds

Chemical compounds are

substances that are composed of
two or more atoms that are
chemically combined with a
chemical bond, whether it is ionic
or covalent.
Molecules are uncharged particles
of elements or compounds, which
are generally bonded by a covalent
bond. They may be a single atom, a
group of two or more atoms of the
same element, or a group of atoms
of different elements that have
combined to form a compound.
Monoatomic molecules are one-
atom molecules. He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe,
and Rn are monoatomic molecules.

Diatomic molecules are two-

atom molecules. H, O, N, Cl and F
are atoms that can form diatomic
molecules.
TYPES OF CHEMICAL FORMULA

A chemical formula is a type of

notation made with numbers and
chemical symbols. It has two
purposes:
1. to indicate the composition of the
compound;
2. to indicate the number of atoms in
one molecule of an element.
The formula tells two things:
1. the elements making up the
compound;
2. the relative number of atoms of
each element in the compound
 RULES FOR WRITING FORMULAE
CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS
1. Write the symbols of the elements
and their oxidation numbers
disregarding the charge.
a. In binary ionic compounds,
write the cation first before the
anion.
Ex. aluminum oxide

Al + O =
Al2O3
b. In combinations involving
nonmetals, where the one with lower
electronegativity attains a positive
oxidation number over the other, the
one with positive oxidation number
must beEx.
written first.dioxide
Carbon

C + O + CO2
2. If the oxidation numbers of the
ions or polyatomic ions are
numerically equal regardless of the
charge, simply remove them and
write the symbols.

Ex: aluminum phosphate

-3
Al +3
+ PO 4 = AlPO 4
3. If the oxidation numbers are not
numerically equal as long as they
are not divisible to a certain
number, simply interchange them to
get the subscripts. If the subscript of
the polyatomic ion is greater than
one, enclose it in the parenthesis.
For more complex compounds like
that of ferro- and ferricyanides,
enclose the polyatomic ion in a
bracket.
 Ex.: zinc hydroxide

Zn +2
+ OH -1 = Zn OH 2

ammonium silicate

NH 1
4
+ SiO3 -2
= NH 4 2 SiO3
4. If the oxidation numbers are
divisible by a certain number,
simplify their subscripts and rewrite
the formula.
Ex.: lead (IV) sulfide
+4 + -2
Pb S = Pb 2S4
Rewrite to PbS2
because the
subscripts are
divisible by 2
 lead (IV) sulfate

Pb +4 + SO -2
4
= Pb 2 SO 4 4

Rewrite to Pb(SO4)2
 If the compound is named with
Greek prefixes, mono 1, di 2, tri
3, tetra 4, etc. just indicate the
subscript based on the given prefix.

Ex.: dinitrogen pentoxide =N2O5

manganese dioxide = MnO2

Exercises:
Write the chemical formulae of the
following compounds:
a. Sodium hydoxide
b. Potassium permanganate
c. Aluminum sulfite
d. Manganese (IV) hydroxide
e. Iron (II) oxide
f. Hydrogen sulfide
g. Dinitrogen hexacloride