Compounds and Ions in Chemistry

Compounds and Ions

• Compounds made of metals and nonmetals contain charged entities called ions.
• Ions can be single atoms or groups of atoms with a net charge.
• Ions exist as either negatively charged or positively charged entities.
• Negatively charged ions are termed 'anions.'
• Positively charged ions are referred to as 'cations.'

Example: Sodium Chloride (NaCl)

• Sodium chloride is composed of sodium ions and chloride ions.
• Sodium ions are positively charged (Na+).
• Chloride ions are negatively charged (Cl-).
• The interaction of these ions results in the formation of the neutral compound NaCl.

Building Blocks of Matter

• Atoms serve as the fundamental building blocks of all matter, similar to how a mason uses bricks to construct walls.
• Comparative examples include the small grains of sand that form an ant-hill, emphasizing that even seemingly insignificant units contribute to larger structures.

Size of Atoms

• Atoms are exceedingly small, eluding comparison with larger objects; countless atoms stacked together would only equal the thickness of a standard sheet of paper.
• The measurement of atomic radius is conducted in nanometres, providing a precise scale for these tiny particles.

Conversion of Units

• 1/10°m equals 1 nanometre (nm), illustrating how minute atomic dimensions are.
• 1 metre (m) is equivalent to 10° nanometres, reinforcing the vast difference in scale between everyday measurements and atomic size.