Chemical Names, Symbols, and Formulas

Reading and writing formulas, naming ions, ionic and molecular compounds, acids, hydrates, and basic organics.

Intended level

Beginner to intermediate — essential for equations and stoichiometry.

Prerequisites

• chemical-bonding
• periodic-table-trends

Ordered lessons

1. reading formulas
2. naming ions
3. naming ionic compounds
4. naming molecular compounds
5. naming acids
6. naming hydrates
7. naming organic basic
8. common polyatomic ions
9. writing formulas from names

Related formulas and calculators

• $percent-composition$ — see Formula: percent-composition
• formula-mass
• nomenclature-helper

Only links to real, published tools are shown. Placeholders are not linked.

Common misconceptions

• The subscript and coefficient mean the same thing.
• Polyatomic ions break apart in names.
• Organic naming is random.

Related resources

• Constants — sourced physical constants with version stamps.
• Laboratory Safety — PPE, hazards, RAMP.
• Glossary — definitions for key terms in this topic.
• Sources and Data — how sources are versioned and cited.

Curriculum mappings

This topic maps to external frameworks stored in src/content/curriculum/. Never implies official affiliation.

• AP Chemistry 1.1 / IB Chemistry 2.1 (see /curriculum/ap-chem-1-1 and file src/content/curriculum/ap-chem-1-1.md).
• Framework version and source URL recorded per mapping; review date 2026-08-21.

Review and source metadata

• Author: Chemistry Fundamentals Editorial Team (chem-team)
• Reviewer: Dr. Example Reviewer (chemistry reviewer — transparent placeholder, see /editorial-policy)
• Last reviewed: 2026-08-21
• Review due: 2027-08-21
• Sources: NIST Reference Placeholder (nist-2022, 2022-CODATA). Placeholder reference — replace with actual sourced reference per lesson.

Printable summary

Summary card (PDF) — coming soon — print styles preserve equations and tables.

Correction? See Corrections Policy and Contact.