Question #f6f94
1 Answer
May 11, 2014
An oxyion is a negatively charged polyatomic ion that contains one or more oxygen atoms.
Oxyions are anions because of their negative charge. Oxyanions are salts of oxygen-containing acids. Examples are:
Carbonate ion, CO₃²⁻ from carbonic acid, H₂CO₃
Chlorate ion, ClO₃⁻ from chloric acid, HClO₃
Iodate ion, IO₃⁻ from iodic acid, HIO₃
Nitrate ion, NO₃⁻ from HNO₃
Phosphate ion, PO₄³⁻ from phosphoric acid, H₃PO
Sulfate ion, SO₄²⁻, from sulfuric acid, H₂SO₄
You can find a much longer list of oxyanions at
http://socratic.org/questions/how-are-polyatomic-ions-different-from-simple-anions