Ah, Valentine's Day...another week in our class where we get to celebrate love. It's also around the time when we celebrate our ability to write chemical formulas and practice naming ionic compounds. Chemical nomenclature of ionic compounds can be tricky for middle and high school science students to grasp. But practice makes perfect, so that is what we do! We practice naming ionic compounds until they are experts! How exactly do we do it?
Background Needed for Naming Ionic Compounds
Before we begin, it is important to note that our students need a little background. When we reach the point in physical science and chemistry to learn about naming ionic compounds, we have already learned about basic atomic structure, how to use the periodic table, and the differences between atoms, elements, and compounds. We begin learning about ionic compounds with chemical formulas. To learn about chemical formulas, I give the students a Chemical Formulas doodle notes page, and we talk about the meaning of each part.
Teach Writing Formulas Before Naming Ionic Compounds
Next, I teach them how to write formulas for ionic compounds. We take baby steps, first talking about what makes an atom want to gain or lose electrons and whether or not it will form a cation or an anion. Talking about how to "drop and swap" to write the chemical formulas is next. "Drop and swap" is the catchphrase that we use to remind the students to drop (the charges) and swap (the numbers). We start with binary ionic compounds and eventually add polyatomic ions and transition metals in chemistry for the tertiary compounds and more complex chemical nomenclature. You can download a copy of one of the handouts I like to use as we learn here.
Teach Naming Ionic Compounds with an Example
At this point in our learning path, we talk about naming ionic compounds using Sodium chloride as an example. Many students know that the name of NaCl is Sodium chloride and not Sodium chlorine. Using this ionic compound as an example helps them derive the naming rules independently. The students see that the name of the compound ends in -ide.
Now, we can practice with different activities and assessments, from racing, coloring, and completing puzzles. How do you practice naming ionic compounds and writing chemical formulas? Let us know, and we'll send you the Naming Ionic Compounds Mystery Picture to use with your students.
Happy Valentine's Day!
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