Common Polyatomic Ions (to be memorized before school starts)

-1 Charge
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Formula
Name
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------H2PO4dihydrogen phosphate

-2 Charge
---------------------------------------------------------------Formula
Name
-------------------------------------------------------------HPO4-2
hydrogen phosphate

C2H3O2-

acetate*

C2O4-2

oxalate

HSO3-

hydrogen sulfite (bisulfite)

SO3-2

sulfite

HSO4-

hydrogen sulfate (bisulfate)

SO4-2

sulfate

HCO3-

hydrogen carbonate (bicarbonate)

CO3-2

carbonate

NO2-

nitrite

S2O3-2

thiosulfate

NO3-

nitrate

CrO4-2

chromate

CN-

cyanide

Cr2O7-2

dichromate

CNO-

cyanate

SiO4-4

silicate

SCN-

thiocyanate

O2-2

peroxide

OH-

hydroxide

SeO4-2

selenate

MnO4-

permanganate

SeO3-2

selenite

ClO-

hypochlorite

TeO4-2

tellurate

ClO2-

chlorite

Br and I may be

TeO3-2

tellurite

ClO3-

chlorate

substituted for Cl

C4H4 O6-2

tartrate

ClO4-

perchlorate

BiO3-

bismuthate

*CH3COO- may also be used for acetate

-3 Charge
-----------------------------------------------------------Formula
Name
------------------------------------------------------------PO3-3
phosphite

+1 Charge
-------------------------------------------------------------Formula
Name
-------------------------------------------------------------NH4+
ammonium

PO4-3

phosphate

AsO3-3

arsenite

AsO4-3

arsenate

--------------------------------------------------------------

Fe(CN)6-3

hexacyanoferrate(III) (or ferricyanide)

Formula

BO3-3

borate

--------------------------------------------------------------

-4 Charge

Fe(CN)6-4

Name

hexacyanoferrate(II)
Also called ferrocyanide

Tips for helping you to learn the polyatomic ions:

A polyatomic ion is a groups of atoms that, as a whole, act as an ion (have a charge).
The trick is that lots of the ions have oxygens attached, and the number seems to vary a lot.
So you have to learn how many oxygens are attached AS WELL AS the charge on the ion as a whole.

So how do you keep up with the charge?

This is easy! For many of the polyatomic ions containing oxygen, the charge is exactly the same as that on the monatomic
ion.
Examples: sulfate and sulfite ions both have a -2 charge, as does the sulfide ion!
phosphate and phosphite both have a -3 charge, as does the phosphide ion!
hypochlorite, chlorite, chlorate, and perchlorate ions all have a -1 charge, as does the chloride ion!
Exceptions: nitrate, nitrite, bismuthate, carbonate, and borate
Notice that boron, carbon, and nitrogen are in a row:

10.81

12.01

14.01

And borate, carbonate, and nitrate have charges of

-3
-2
-1

So how do your remember how many oxygens to add?

Divide up your periodic table into outer nonmetals and inner nonmetals like so:
(These are artificial designations, but they help!)

10.81

12.01

14.01

16.00

19.00

14

15

16

17

Si

Cl

28.09

30.97

32.06

35.45

33

34

35

As Se

Br

74.92

78.96

79.90

52

53

83

Te

127.60

126.90
)

Bi
208.98

Well call B, C, N, O, F, Cl, Br, and I the outer nonmetals. All the rest will be inner nonmetals
The outer nonmetals
combine with 4 oxygens to make "per_________ ate" ions
Examples: perchlorate is ClO4 , perbromate is BrO4 , periodate is IO4
combine with 3 oxygens to make "_______ate" ions
2Examples: iodate is IO3 , nitrate is NO3 , sulfate is SO4
combine with 2 oxygens to make "_______ite" ions
Examples: fluorite is FO2 , nitrite is NO2
combine with 1 oxygen to make "hypo______ite" ions
Examples: hypofluorite is FO , hypochlorite is ClO , hypobromite is BrO
The inner nonmetals
combine with 4 oxygens to make "_________ate" ions
33Examples: phosphate is PO4 , arsenate is AsO4 , permanganate is MnO4
combine with 3 oxygens to make "________ ite" ions
332Examples: phosphite is PO3 , arsenite is AsO3 , sulfite is SO3
**Exception to inner-outer rules: bismuthate only has three oxygens