Ionic Formula Writing and Naming - Ternary

Baking SodaIonic compounds that consist of single atom ions are called binary ionic compounds. A binary ionic compound is composed of only two different elements. The compound contains one element for the cation and one element for the anion. However, not all ionic compounds consist of single atom ions. There are many ionic compounds that have ions with several atoms in them. These types of ions are called polyatomic ions. You may have heard the names of compounds which contain polyatomic ions. Some examples are sodium bicarbonate (commonly known as baking soda) and magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts). In this topic, you will learn how to write formulas with polyatomic ions.

Essential Question

  • How are ternary compounds formed and named?