Ionic Compounds in our Daily Lives

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________

Sodium chloride is a typical binary ionic compound. "Binary" means there are two elements bonded together. "Ionic" means each are ions (Na+ and Cl-). Since opposite charges attract, this causes them to bond (combine) to make a compound. When talking to patients with high blood pressure, medical staff will say, "Reduce your intake of salt." This use of "salt" means sodium chloride (NaCl).

Salt is a general term for any metal combined with any non-metal. However, in everyday language, this word usually means sodium chloride.

Saline is a term the medical profession uses for a sodium chloride solution. "Normal Saline" means a sodium chloride solution that is 0.9% w/v [weight/volume]. 0.9% w/v means 0.9 grams per 100 mL of solution. You can make it by putting 9 grams of sodium chloride in water and then bring up the volume to 1 liter.

"Normal" means that the salt level is close to the "salt" or "ion" levels in blood. That's why normal saline is given to dehydrated patients who can't take liquids orally. It is administered by IV (intravenous) through injection or use of a IV bag.

Potassium is needed for the proper functioning of muscles and nerves. If the body doesn't have enough potassium, the condition is called "hypokalemia". "Hypo" means under. "Kal" is from "Kalium" the Latin name for potassium (hence K as symbol). "emia" means blood. So hypokalemia means low levels of potassium in the blood. Potassium chloride is another binary ionic compound. Notice binary compounds end with "ide". The positive ion (potassium, K+) is always written first.

Titanium (IV) oxide is another binary ionic compound. It's used as a sunblock for people sensitive to the sun's UV light or are in high risk environments (mountains, snow, water)

Notice unlike sodium or potassium chloride, this name uses a Roman numeral between metal and non-metal. Sodium and potassium ions are always a plus one charge, so there's no need to indicate charge. Titanium however, can have a plus 2, plus 3, or a plus 4 charge, so there needs to be a way to indicate which one. The Roman numeral IV means this titanium has a plus 4 charge. To balance that charge, you would need two oxygen ions (oxide ions) because each oxygen ion is a negative 2 charge. So the formula is TiO2. This product names this compound as titanium dioxide, which is logical since there are two oxygen atoms; however, the organization that has the task to standardize chemical names says using the Roman Numerals will reduce misunderstandings. So the proper name is titanium (IV) oxide, but you are likely to see and hear it as titanium dioxide.

So far the ions I've shown were of single atoms, for example, Na+, K+, Ti4+, Cl-, and O2-. However, a large number of compounds have ions that are made from two or more elements. They call them polyatomic ions. "Poly" meaning "many" and "atomic" referring to atoms.

Sulfate: Iron supplements often contain iron (II) sulfate. Sulfate is a negative ion and its formula is SO42-. It is a polyatomic ion because it has two elements; sulfur and oxygen. The sulfur and oxygen are locked together as a group and their overall charge is negative two. Iron can have a plus 2 (II) or a plus 3 (III) charge, which is why the (II) is necessary. An older name for iron that had a plus 2 charge is "Ferrous". So some iron supplements may call this Ferrous sulfate rather than iron (II) sulfate.

In the medical profession calcium sulfate and barium sulfate are often encountered.

Casts are made from calcium sulfate hemihydrate. (CaSO4 * 0.5H2O). "Hemi" means one half and "hydrate" means water. In other words, one water sits between two CaSO4 molecules.

Barium sulfate is taken orally (like a milkshake made from chalk) and is used to absorb xrays. This allows the outline of the digestive tract to be visible in xrays.

Sulfite: Sulfate has four oxygen atoms. If there are only 3 oxygen atoms, then the name changes to "sulfite". The formula is "SO3

2-". It still has a negative (minus) 2 charge. This ion is important in health care because 1 out 100 people are sensitive to sulfite causing sometimes severe allergic reactions. Some people have died. The normal allergic reaction is breathing difficulties. Sulfite is used as a preservative in wines and many foods (like trail mix).

Sulfites are used to sterilize fermentation equipment and food containers because of its antimicrobial properties. Generally meat, cereals and dairy products are not treated with it as it destroys the thiamine (vitamin B1) content.

Most products don't list sulfite as an ingredient. They will call it sulfur dioxide (or British spelling sulphur dioxide). Sulfur dioxide is a gas. If you opened the bag, the sulfur dioxide would escape and no longer be a preservative. However, there's some moisture in trail mix or even "dried" fruit. Plus, there's water in wine. So the sulfur dioxide they list has actually reacted with water. Here's the reaction: SO2 + H2O -> H2SO3

The product is called sulfurous acid. Now you see why they don't want to label it as sulfurous acid, which is very close to sounding like sulfuric acid. In water, the sulfurous acid breaks up into ions with one being sulfite: H2SO3 -> 2H+ + SO3

2-

Now you can see the sulfite ion that some people

are allergic to.

Since we just showed a bag of dried apricots, let's talk about apricot seeds, another polyatomic ion. The seeds and pits of apricots, cherries, almonds, peaches, and apples contain amygdalin. Inside the intestine bacteria can break off a cyanide group making the cyanide ion (CN-). Under the name of Laetrile, amygdalin has been proposed as a treatment for cancer, but the medical community has rejected this claim. People desperate for a cancer cure will still buy these.

The type of cyanide used in gas chambers was hydrogen cyanide. It is a gas. As it got into the lungs and contacted water, it would break up into hydrogen ions and cyanide ions.

The other poisonous forms of cyanide are the sodium and potassium salts of cyanide. NaCN and KCN. These were used in suicide pills that spies carried with them.

Cassava is an important food source for 500 million people around the world, but the roots contain a substance that breaks down into cyanide. The substance is similar to amygdalin above. An enzyme in the plant turns the cyanide group on the amygdalin-like compound into hydrogen cyanide (a gas). One method of getting rid of it is to grind the root into a paste and spreading it out into a thin layer. In about 4 hours most of the hydrogen cyanide will escape into the air. Another process to reduce the cyanide compound is to grind and then wash the cassava

flour. Because of the dangers, health organizations monitor the cyanide buildup in the populations that eat cassava.

ACETATE:Vinegar has been used for centuries to combat microbes in foods. That's the basis of pickled foods. Vinegar in stores is a 5% w/v (5 g/100mL) solution of acetic acid. In water some of the acetic acid loses a hydrogen ion (acid) that gets grabbed by water. HC2H3O2+ H2O -> C2H3O2

- + H3O+

The negative ion of acetic acid is called "acetate". The water that has grabbed the H+ ion is called the hydronium ion.

Also in the picture is a bottle of zinc acetate, which is a cold remedy. The bag contains sodium acetate.

NaC2H3O2

Sodium acetate is used in instant heat packs. The way it works is very interesting chemistry. When placed in very hot water you can get a lot of sodium acetate to dissolve, but when it cools back down, some of the sodium acetate should precipitated out of the water, but it doesn't. They call that supersaturated because it has more sodium acetate dissolved that that cool temperature is capable of.

A single crystal of sodium acetate or a disturbance from the "activator button" can cause the sodium acetate in the solution to turn to a solid. At that point heat is released. The reason is that molecules in a liquid are moving around, but molecules in a solid are not moving around. Motion is energy, more specifically kinetic energy. When these molecules come to an abrupt halt as they go from liquid to solid, that kinetic energy has to go somewhere. That's the heat that is given off.

AMMONIUM, NH4+:

Nearly all polyatomic ions you encounter are negatively charged. Ammonium is one that is positively charge. Ammonium gets its name from the Egyptian Ram God, Ammon. A salt with special properties was discovered near the Temple of Ammon. It was called Sal (salt) Ammoniac (NH4Cl). When heated, it decomposes into ammonia and hydrogen chloride gases. NH4Cl -> NH3 + HCl. Other images: Ammonium chloride is used in cough medicine. Ammonium nitrate is used as a fertilizer and as an explosive. Ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) is used in cleaners.

Ammonia is one nitrogen bonded to 3 hydrogen atoms. This illustration shows the outer electrons of nitrogen and how by sharing 3 electrons with 3 hydrogen atoms, it achieves a stable 8 electron configuration. On the right is water. One hydrogen on the water will come off and attach itself to the pair of electrons on ammonia. This hydrogen leaves its one electron behind. Ammonia now becomes the ammonum ion with a plus one charge. The water is now the hydroxide ion (OH-). It's negative because the hydrogen left its electron behind. Together they are called ammonium hydroxide.

Ammonia is created in the body from digestion of proteins and amino acids (middle image: notice the amino part of this amino acid). If there’s an excess of nitrogen, the body converts it to urea, which is less toxic than ammonia. Urea is expelled in the urine.

Some babies are born without the enzymes to convert ammonia to urea, so they develop hyperammonemia, which is fatal or will cause brain damage if not treated.

Bicarbonate (HCO3-):

In chemistry the new preferred name is hydrogen carbonate; however, you will probably see the name, bicarbonate, persist in the medical field for a long time.

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is used in emergency situations like heart attacks, kidney failures, and lung problems to correct a pH imbalance from too much acid in the blood. Here's the chemical equation of neutralizing acid (H+):

H+ + HCO3- -> H2CO3

Maintaining the proper pH in the blood is a balancing act between carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, and bicarbonate ion. For example, if a person hyperventilates (breathing too fast), they lose CO2 and the pH of the blood because less acidic. One remedy it to have them breath into a paper bag so that the CO2 gets reabsorbed into the blood stream and brings back the lost acidity. Here's the key reaction that shows how CO2 produces acid (H+):CO2 + H2O -> H2CO3 -> H+ + HCO3

-

Chlorates: Chlorates are a group of polyatomic ions that are have one chlorine atom and one to four oxygen atoms. (ClO-, ClO2

-, ClO3-, & ClO4

-). The names in same order are hypochlorite, chlorite, chlorate, and perchlorate.

In the medical field, sterilization is always critical. One chlorate, sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), is the main ingredient in Clorox and is commonly used as an disinfectant. A syringe with NaClO solution is used in dentistry to clean and disinfect root canals.

Chlorate, and perchlorate are also used as a source of oxygen in fireworks and in rocket fuel. Perchlorates from dumped rocket fuel have contaminated the water supply in several states. This is a health issue currently being examined.

Nitrate (NO3-) & Nitrite (NO2

-): These are produced by bacteria feeding off of human and animal waste. Nitrate can also come for fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate. High nitrate levels in drinking water can harm infants. Nitrate is converted into nitrite by bacteria that survives in infants’ stomachs. The nitrite ion enters the blood and converts the hemoglobin in red blood cells to methemoglobin The "met" is from "meta" meaning "changed." This "changed" hemoglobin has less ability to carry oxygen, causing a condition known as methemoglobinemia, also called "blue baby syndrome."

Below are tables and informaton from my help pages for a lab in CHM130; however, these tables are good examples of naming compounds. Study them and you will learn a lot about nomenclature.

Binary compounds:Tip on finding formula and name: Atoms that have a charge have a one-track mind. They are attracted to anything with the opposite charge. In the table below the positive metal ions on the left column will all be attracted to the negative non-metal ions on the top row. If the positive metal ion is 1+ and the negative ion is 1-, after they combine, their charges balance out to zero. Being zero charge, they will not attract any other atoms. So the final formula is set as one each. For example, Na+ + Cl- --> NaCl. Also, Ag+ + Cl- --> AgCl. If the metal ion is 2+ and the non-metal ion is 2-, they will also cancel their charges when they combine. So the final formula is one each. For example, Fe2+ + O2- --> FeO. Now lets look at Na+ being attracted to O2-. After they combine, there's still a negative one charge because (+1) + (-2) = (-1). So NaO still has a negative one charge (NaO-). That means they will attract another positive sodium ion (Na+). So, NaO- + Na+ --> Na2O. At this point the charges all cancel and Na2O is neutral so there's no more attraction, meaning that's the final formula. Remember, atoms can't think, but they can still make the right formula by simply coming together as long as there's a charge present.Tip on finding name: When there are just two kinds of atoms, the name of the compound begins with the name of the positive ion (usually a metal). The second word is the name of the negative element except the name is shortened and "ide" is added.

FILL IN THE MISSING FORMULAS & NAMES:

Cl- O2- N3- S2- P3-

Na+ NaClSodium chloride

Na2OSodium oxide

Na3NSodium nitride

Na2SSodium sulfide

Na3PSodium phosphide

Mg2+ MgCl2Magnesium chloride

MgOMagnesium oxide

Mg3N2

Magnesium nitrideMgS

Magnesium sulfideMg3P2

Magnesium phosphide

Al3+ AlCl3

Aluminum chlorideAl3O2

Aluminum oxideAlN

Aluminum nitrideAl2S3

Aluminum sulfideAlP

Aluminum phosphide

Fe2+ FeCl2

Iron (II) chlorideFeO

Iron (II) oxideFe3N2

Iron (II) nitrideFeS

Iron (II) sulfideFe3P2

Iron (II) phosphide

Ag+ AgClSilver chloride

Ag2OSilver oxide

Ag3NSilver nitride

Ag2SSilver sulfide

Ag3PSilver phosphide

Cu+ CuClCopper (I) chloride

Cu2OCopper (I) oxide

Cu3NCopper (I) nitride

Cu2SCopper (I) sulfide

Cu3PCopper (I) phosphide

Notice some metals have a Roman numeral after them and some don't. If the metal can only have one charge, then there's no reason to indicate the charge. Some metals, however, can have different charges so we have to indicate their charge.

Ternary Compounds

Fill in the missing Formulas and Names:

CN- NO3- CO3

2- SO42- PO4

3-

NH4+

NH4CNAmmonium

cyanide

NH4NO3

Ammonium nitrate

(NH4)2CO3

Ammonium carbonate

(NH4)2SO4

Ammonium sulfate

(NH4)3PO4

Ammonium phosphate

Ca2+

Mg(CN)2

Magnesium cyanide

Mg(NO3)2

Magnesium nitrate

MgCO3

Magnesium carbonate

MgSO4

Magnesium sulfate

Mg3(PO4)2

Magnesium phosphate

Al3+

Al(CN)3

Aluminum cyanide

Al(NO3)3

Aluminum nitrate

Al2(CO3)3

Aluminum carbonate

Al2(SO4)3

Aluminum sulfateAlPO4

Aluminum phosphate

Cu2+

Cu(CN)2

Copper (II) cyanide

Cu(NO3)2

Copper (II) nitrate

CuCO3

Copper (II) carbonate

CuSO4

Copper (II) sulfateCu3(PO4)2

Copper (II) phosphate

Notice that iron (III) below has the same charge as aluminum above so the number of the anions (negative ions) will be the same. Since iron has more than one oxidation number, we must indicate which one it is. When aluminum combines, it only has a +3 charge, so there's no reason to indicate the charge.

Fill in the missing Formulas and Names:

CN- NO3- CO3

2- SO42- PO4

3-

Fe3+ Fe(CN)3

Iron (III) cyanideFe(NO3)3

Iron (III) nitrate

Fe2(CO3)3

Iron (III) carbonate

Fe2(SO4)3

Iron (III) sulfateFePO4

Iron (III) phosphate

DRUG NAMESYou've been learning about the polyatomic ions that are usually combined with a metal. You

will also see these polyatomic ions attached to various drugs. Polyatomic ions names are used with many of the drugs we see.

This is an ampoule of morphine sulfate in a water solution. Morphine (like many drugs) is not soluble in water, so pharmaceutical companies turn morphine into salts (ionic compounds) so that the morphine will dissolve in water. They do that by adding an acid to the morphine. Most any acid will work and they have used about 20 of them to make various salts of morphine. Because this is morphine sulfate, they used sulfuric acid to convert the morphine. See the next row for more details.

Ephedrine is another drug that is often converted to a salt form. Again it makes it more water soluble, which helps it dissolve in the stomach. This is ephedrine hydrochloride being sold as a bronchodilator. It's often used as a stimulant and appetite suppressant.

To the left is the structure of ephedrine. Notice the nitrogen. So this is another alkaloid compound. The nitrogen accepts the H+ ion coming from hydrochloric acid. The chloride ion remains nearby. This make ephedrine much more water soluble.

Remember nomenclature is all about recognizing patterns and groups. The main pattern is the balancing of charges. Recognizing individual element symbols is easy, the harder part is

recognizing when 2 or more elements behave as a group (polyatomic ions). For example, "LiClO3" above shows us 3 elements, but we have to recognized

that the elements in "ClO3" are bound together tightly as a group, so it has its own name of chlorate.

Ionic Compounds in our Daily Lives

Name: ____________________________________________ Date: __________________________________

1) What is meant by a binary ionic compound?

2) Why do ions "stick together"?

3) When chemists say the word "salt", what do they mean? When common people say "salt" to which compound are we most likely referring?

4) If a doctor ran out of normal saline, how could you make some more (describe the amounts and substances you would need)?

5) What does "normal" saline mean?

6) What does IV stand for?

7) Why does the body need potassium?

8) What is the name of the condition that occurs when the body does not have enough potassium? What does the word mean?

9) Explain why "K" is used for the symbol for potassium.

10) What is Titanium (IV) oxide used for? Why do you think it might be more important to use in snow, water or on mountains?

11) What are polyatomic ions?

12) What is another name for Iron (II) sulfate?

13) What is one use of calcium sulfate?

14) Why is barium sulfate sometimes given to patients who need an x-ray?

15) How is the structure of sulfate different from the structure of sulfite?

16) What are sulfites used for (give 3 uses)?

17) Why don't they use sulfites on meats, cereals and dairy products?

18) Why do food producers often list sulfur dioxide on their labels even though it is not really sulfur dioxide that is the main ingredient in dried fruits? What compound is really on the dried fruit?

19) What is the name of the compound in the pits (seeds) of apricots, cherries, almonds, peaches and apples? What polyatomic ions is found in that compound?

20) What disease do some people think may be treated by CN-1?

21) Cyanide is a deadly poison. It was used in gas chambers and in the suicide pills carried by spies. List 3 ionic compounds used for these purposes?

22) Why is it important for people who eat cassava to grind the cassava into flour and wash it or spread it out in a thin layer for hours before eating it?

23) What is one use of zinc acetate? What is the formula for the polyatomic ion in this compound?

24) What is the chemical compound in automatic heat packs?

25) Name one positively charged polyatomic ion? Where does its name come from?

26) What are the uses for:

A) Ammonium chloride: _________________________

B) Ammonium nitrate: _________________________ & ____________________

C) Ammonium hydroxide: _________________________

27) How is ammonia made in the body? How does the body get rid of the toxin?

28) In what type of medical emergencies might a doctor give a patient sodium bicarbonate? What does the compound do in the body?

29) Why does it help to breathe into a bag if a patient is hyperventilating? Explain the chemistry.

30) Give a function for the following compounds:

A) sodium hypochlorite: _______________________________

B) NaClO solution: _______________________________

C) Chlorate and perchlorate: _______________________________

31) What causes "blue baby" syndrome:

Complete the tables in the readings...

32) Why is it necessary to mix morphine with something like sulfuric acid?

33) What is the chemical compound in ephedrine? What is this compound used for?