What are metallic compounds made of?

1 Answer
May 15, 2015

Metallic compounds are usually made of a metal cation and a nonmetal anion. Anions can be negatively charged ions made from elements, such as the oxide ion ("O"^(2-)O2), or chloride ion ("Cl"^-"Cl). The anions can also by negatively charged polyatomic ions, such as the nitrate ion ("NO"_3^-NO3), or the sulfate ion ("SO"_4^(2-)SO24).

Examples are:

Sodium oxide: "Na"_2"O"Na2O
Magnesium chloride: "MgCl"_2MgCl2
Silver nitrate: "AgNO"_3AgNO3
Aluminum sulfate: "Al"_2"(SO"_4)_3Al2(SO4)3