Part A Copper(II) chlorate. Express your answer as a chemical formula: Cu(ClO3)2
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: CuClO₃
Explanation:
The chemical formula for an ionic compound is determined by balancing the charges of its constituent ions to create a neutral compound. The name “copper(I) chlorate,” as shown in the image, provides all the necessary information to derive this formula.
- Identify the Cation (Positive Ion): The first part of the name, “copper(I),” identifies the cation.
- “Copper” is the element with the chemical symbol Cu.
- The Roman numeral (I) indicates the charge of the copper ion. In this case, it signifies a +1 charge. Therefore, the cation is the copper(I) ion, written as Cu⁺.
- Identify the Anion (Negative Ion): The second part of the name, “chlorate,” identifies the anion.
- Chlorate is a polyatomic ion, meaning it is a group of covalently bonded atoms that carries an overall charge.
- The chemical formula for the chlorate ion is ClO₃, and it has a charge of -1. Therefore, the anion is ClO₃⁻.
- Balance the Charges: The goal is to combine the cation (Cu⁺) and the anion (ClO₃⁻) in a ratio that results in a net charge of zero.
- The charge of one copper(I) ion is +1.
- The charge of one chlorate ion is -1.
- A one-to-one ratio of these ions will balance the charges perfectly: (+1) + (-1) = 0.
- Write the Chemical Formula: To write the final formula, you combine the symbols for the cation and anion. The cation is written first, followed by the anion. Since only one of each ion is needed, no subscripts are required.
Therefore, the correct chemical formula for copper(I) chlorate is CuClO₃.
Note: This is different from copper(II) chlorate, which contains the copper(II) ion (Cu²⁺). To balance the +2 charge of Cu²⁺, two chlorate ions (ClO₃⁻) would be needed, resulting in the formula Cu(ClO₃)₂.
