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With the Polyatomic ions, how do you tell an "ate" from an "ite" when choosing the suffix? I didn't quite catch what the teacher was saying but there was something about the charge compared with the subscript, I think?
Polyatomic ions are charged molecules that contain two or more atoms covalently bonded together. They have an overall charge due to the gain or loss of electrons, making them either positively or negatively charged.
The -ate and -ite suffixes represent different oxidation states of the same element in a polyatomic ion. -ate ions have a higher oxidation state than -ite ions, meaning they have more oxygen atoms bonded to the central atom.
Polyatomic ions are named based on the number of oxygen atoms present. The -ate suffix is used for the ion with the most oxygen atoms, while the -ite suffix is used for the ion with one less oxygen atom. If there is an ion with even less oxygen atoms, the prefix "hypo-" is added, and if there is an ion with one more oxygen atom, the prefix "per-" is added.
Polyatomic ions can combine with other ions to form ionic compounds. In these compounds, the overall charge of the compound must be neutral, meaning the positive and negative charges of the ions must balance out.
No, polyatomic ions can be positively or negatively charged, depending on the number of electrons they have gained or lost. For example, the ammonium ion (NH4+) is a positively charged polyatomic ion.