Question

To name a ternary salt, what should I do if the nonmetal has more than 2 valences?

a) Use the nonmetal's Latin name
b) Specify the valence in the compound name
c) Use the nonmetal's Greek name
d) Use the nonmetal's atomic number

Answer 1

To name a ternary salt when the nonmetal has multiple valences, specify the valence in the compound name using the appropriate suffixes or prefixes, and use Roman numerals if necessary to indicate the metal's charge.

Step-by-step explanation:

To name a ternary salt when the nonmetal has more than 2 valences, you should specify the valence in the compound name. This is typically done by writing the name of the metal cation first (including the transition metal's ionic charge using Roman numerals if necessary), followed by the name of the polyatomic anion. If the nonmetal in the polyatomic ion can exist in multiple oxidation states (valences), the specific one is noted using the appropriate suffixes -ate or -ite, or by using prefix like hypo- and per- to indicate varying levels of oxidation.

For example, the iron cation in iron(II) sulfate indicates that iron has a 2+ charge. The sulfate anion's name indicates that sulfur is in the +6 oxidation state, as opposed to sulfite, where sulfur would be in the +4 state.