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Nomenclature for Acids
General Chemistry 1 (Open + Free)
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Unit 1 - Foundations of Chemistry
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Nomenclature for Acids
Learning Objectives
Write chemical formulas for compounds.
Name chemical compounds.
Some compounds containing hydrogen are members of an important class of substances known as
acids . The chemistry of these compounds is explored in more detail later in this course, but for
now, it will suffice to note that many acids release hydrogen ions, H+, when dissolved in water. To
denote this distinct chemical property, a mixture of water with an acid is given a name derived from
the compound’s name.
Binary Acids
If the compound is a binary acid (comprised of hydrogen and one other nonmetallic element) use
the steps below to name the acid.
Naming Binary Acids
1. The word “hydrogen” is changed to the prefix hydro2. The other nonmetallic element name is modified by adding the suffix -ic
3. The word “acid” is added as a second word
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Nomenclature for Acids
For example, when the gas HCl (hydrogen chloride) is dissolved in water, the solution is called
hydrochloric acid. Several other examples of this nomenclature are shown in table below.
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Name of Gas
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Name of Acid
HF(g), hydrogen fluoride
HF(aq), hydrofluoric acid
HBr(g), hydrogen bromide
HBr(aq), hydrobromic acid
H2 S(g), hydrogen sulfide
H2 S(aq), hydrosulfuric acid
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Did I Get This
What does HF(aq) stand for?
Your answer
hydrofluoric acid
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OUR ANSWER
hydrofluoric acid
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Did I Get This
What is the solution called when HCl is dissolved in water?
Your answer
hydrochloric acid
Resubmit
OUR ANSWER
hydrochloric acid
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Nomenclature for Acids
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Learn By Doing
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Write the names of the following binary acids. (Be sure to spell correctly and do not add any
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punctuation to the answer box.)
HCl(aq) Hydrachloric acid
HI(aq) Hydroiodic acid
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Correct. Because this compound is dissolved in water (aq), it is considered an acid.
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Oxyacids
Many compounds containing three or more elements (such as organic compounds or coordination
compounds) are subject to specialized nomenclature rules that you will learn later. However, we will
briefly discuss the important compounds known as oxyacids , compounds that contain hydrogen,
oxygen, and at least one other element, and are bonded in such a way as to impart acidic properties
to the compound (you will learn the details of this later in this course). Typical oxyacids consist of
hydrogen combined with a polyatomic, oxygen-containing ion. To name oxyacids follow the steps
below.
Naming Oxyacids
1. Omit "hydrogen"
2. Start with the root name of the anion
3. Replace -ate with -ic, or -ite with -ous
4. Add "acid"
For example, consider H2 CO3 (which you might be tempted to call “hydrogen carbonate”). To name
this correctly, “hydrogen” is omitted; the –ate of carbonate is replace with –ic; and acid is added—so
its name is carbonic acid. Other examples are given in Table. There are some exceptions to the
general naming method (e.g., H2 SO4 is called sulfuric acid, not sulfic acid, and H2 SO3 is sulfurous,
not sulfous, acid).
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Nomenclature for Acids
Formula
Anion
Acid Name
HC2 H3 O2
acetate
HClO4
perchlorate
perchloric acid
H2 SO4
sulfate
sulfuric acid
H2 SO3
sulfite
sulfurous acid
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acetic acid
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Learn By Doing
Write the names of the following oxyacids. (Be sure to spell correctly and do not add any
punctuation to the answer box.)
HNO3
Nitric acid
HNO2
Nitrous acid
H3 PO4
Phosphoric acid
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Correct. The anion is nitrate, therefore the ending is changed to -ic.
Correct. The anion is nitrite, therefore the ending is changed to -ous.
Correct. The anion is phosphate, therefore the ending gets changed to -ic.
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Did I Get This
Choose the correct chemical formula for each of the following compounds.
hydrophosphoric acid
H2 PO3
HP3
HPO4
H2 P
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Nomenclature for Acids
H3 P
Correct. The hydro- prefix indicates that the acid is binary, forming between hydrogen and
phosphorus only. Because phosphorus forms a -3 ion, it will combine with three hydrogens
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when forming an acid.
sulfuric acid
HS
H2 S
HSO4
H2 SO4
H2 SO3
Correct. There is no hydro- prefix indicating sulfuric acid is not binary. The -ic ending
indicates that the acid forms from the sulfate, SO4 2-, ion.
carbonic acid
HC
H4 C
H2 C
HCO3
H2 CO3
Correct. There is no hydro- prefix indicating sulfuric acid is not binary. The -ic ending
indicates that the acid forms from the carbonate, CO3 2-, ion.
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Adapted from Openstax Chemistry
(https://cnx.org/contents/havxkyvS@9.422:b39avmGq@29/Preface) under Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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