What are metallic compounds made of?

1 Answer
Meave60
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

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