BackCommon Cations in General Chemistry
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Common Cations
Introduction to Cations
Cations are positively charged ions formed when an atom loses one or more electrons. Understanding common cations, their names, and their charges is essential for writing chemical formulas, naming compounds, and predicting chemical behavior.
Cation: An ion with a positive charge, formed by the loss of electrons.
Monatomic cations: Cations consisting of a single atom (e.g., Na+).
Polyatomic cations: Cations consisting of more than one atom (e.g., NH4+).
List of Common Cations
The following table summarizes several common cations, their systematic and traditional names, and their chemical symbols. These cations are frequently encountered in general chemistry, especially in ionic compounds.
Cation Name | Symbol | Systematic Name | Common Name |
|---|---|---|---|
Chromium(II) | Cr2+ | Chromium(II) | Chromous |
Strontium | Sr2+ | Strontium | — |
Nickel(II) | Ni2+ | Nickel(II) | — |
Tin(II) | Sn2+ | Tin(II) | Stannous |
Aluminum | Al3+ | Aluminum | — |
Iron(III) | Fe3+ | Iron(III) | Ferric |
Lead(IV) | Pb4+ | Lead(IV) | Plumbic |
Naming Conventions for Cations
For elements that form only one cation (e.g., Aluminum), the element name is used (e.g., Aluminum ion).
For elements that form more than one cation, the charge is indicated using Roman numerals in parentheses (e.g., Iron(III) for Fe3+).
Older, traditional names use the suffix -ous for the lower charge and -ic for the higher charge (e.g., Ferrous for Fe2+, Ferric for Fe3+).
Examples and Applications
Example 1: The formula for chromous chloride is because chromous refers to Cr2+.
Example 2: Ferric oxide is , where ferric refers to Fe3+.
Example 3: Stannous fluoride is , where stannous refers to Sn2+.
Summary Table: Common Cations and Their Charges
Element | Symbol | Charge | Traditional Name |
|---|---|---|---|
Chromium | Cr2+ | +2 | Chromous |
Strontium | Sr2+ | +2 | — |
Nickel | Ni2+ | +2 | — |
Tin | Sn2+ | +2 | Stannous |
Aluminum | Al3+ | +3 | — |
Iron | Fe3+ | +3 | Ferric |
Lead | Pb4+ | +4 | Plumbic |
Additional info: The original content was fragmented and missing some chemical symbols and charges. Standard cations and their names were inferred based on common general chemistry conventions.
