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-)#), or chloride ion (#"Cl"^-"#). The anions can also by negatively charged polyatomic ions, such as the nitrate ion (#"NO"_3^-#), or the sulfate ion (#"SO"_4^(2-)#).

Examples are:

Sodium oxide: #"Na"_2"O"#
Magnesium chloride: #"MgCl"_2#
Silver nitrate: #"AgNO"_3#
Aluminum sulfate: #"Al"_2"(SO"_4)_3#