Two compounds have formulas A_2B_6 and CD_3. One of these compounds is ionic, and the other is molecular.

a) How can you tell which is ionic?
b) For the ionic, if the negative has a -1 charge, what is the charge of the positive?
c) Suggest two ions that might form this compound.

Question

Two compounds have formulas A_2B_6 and CD_3. One of these compounds is ionic, and the other is molecular.

a) How can you tell which is ionic?
b) For the ionic, if the negative has a -1 charge, what is the charge of the positive?
c) Suggest two ions that might form this compound.

jfraser · Answer

Ionic compounds rarely have formulas that can be further reduced to smaller whole s. NaCl is 1:1, K2O is 2:1, FeCl3 is 1:3. The most likely ionic compound is CD3, since A2B6 could be reduced further to AB3, but it's specifically listed as 2:6. If ion D has a -1 charge, then ion C must have a charge of +3 to balance, since there are 3 D ions but only 1 C ion to balance the charge.

anonymous · Answer

Thanks! That's what I thought but wanted to make sure.