Binary compounds are substances made up of two elements, with varying numbers of atoms in each molecule. They are classified as ionic or covalent, and are important in both organic and inorganic chemistry. Ionic compounds consist of a metallic and non-metallic element, while covalent compounds have weaker bonds. Chemists use naming conventions to identify binary compounds.
A binary compound is a substance whose molecules are made up of atoms of two elements. The number of individual atoms in each molecule can vary, but they must belong to only two elements, although isotopes of the elements are allowed. Binary compounds are, by definition, some of the simplest compounds in all of nature, but they are also some of the most important in both organic and inorganic chemistry. They are generally classified as ionic or covalent, depending on the type of bonds between the atoms. Several subgroups and divisions of binary compounds are recognized by chemists for classification and teaching purposes.
A substance consisting of a metallic element and a non-metallic element is an ionic binary compound. These compounds are formed when positively charged ions bond with negatively charged ions. The ionic bonds these atoms form are very strong and require a great deal of energy to break. Most often, positively charged ions are atoms of a metal and negatively charged ions are from a non-metal. Many compounds of this type are salts such as common table salt which consists of one sodium atom and one chlorine atom.
The second major type is formed by the combination of atoms bonded with covalent bonds. Covalent chemical bonds are not as strong as ionic bonds, which means that relatively little energy is required to break them. Hydrocarbons consisting only of carbon and hydrogen atoms are a type of covalent binary compound. Water is perhaps the most familiar. This covalent compound consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.
Chemists have developed a system for naming chemicals and other compounds, and knowing a little about the conventions of this system can help identify some binary compounds by their names alone. Names for ionic compounds, which tend to be a metal bonded to a nonmetal, are usually formulated with the name of the metal followed by a shortened form of the name of the nonmetallic element, with the suffix “-ide.” For example, salt is sodium chloride, the “-ide” helps identify it as a binary compound. Covalent compounds follow similar conventions, and binary compounds of both types can have the second term also modified by a prefix to denote multiple atoms of an element, such as carbon dioxide, which has two oxygen atoms. Other rules are used for some other special cases, and occasionally a compound may not follow the conventions at all.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
