Lectures, Journals, and Reflections

Journal Reflection 1: Coffee Can and Particle Diagram     8/28/25

Lecture: Subatomic Particles     9/2/25

Lectures: Atom Reactivity and Coulombic Energy, Ionization Energy  9/4/25 - 9/16/25

Journal 2: Coulombic Energy, Ionization Energy, and Atomic Models     9/25/25

Journal Reflection 3: Nomenclature 10/14/25

Covalent Compounds: Nomenclature Using Flow Chart

H2O. Hydrogen and Oxygen are both non-metals, so that would classify are compound as covalent. Since our first element is H, the first part of our chemical name would be Hydrogen, but for this circumstance in particular I will call it dihydrogen. Our second element is a single atom so it will have a mono- prefix. So, in conclusion our chemical name for this compound will be dihydrogen monoxide! (better known as WATER)

CO2. Carbon and Oxygen are both non-metals. This classifies our CO2 as covalent. Our first element is a single carbon, so it will stay the same and our second element is two oxygen atoms, so it will have a prefix of di-, making it dioxide. Our final chemical name will be carbon dioxide!

NH3. Nitrogen and Hydrogen are both non-metals, making this compound covalent. N is singular and does not require a mono- prefix since it is the first element. H has 3 atoms which means we could use the tri- prefix. Our finally chemical name will be nitrogen trihydride! (better known as ammonia)

Ionic Compounds: Nomenclature Using Flow Chart

NaCl. Since sodium contains a +1 charge (cation), this compound will be ionic. Sodium will stay the same in the chemical name since it is a metal, but chlorine will end with -ide since it is a non-metal. Since the compound does not contain a hydrogen cation, it will stay as the chemical name sodium chloride! (better known as table salt)

LiF. Since lithium contains a +1 charge (cation), this compound will be ionic. Lithium, being a metal, will stay the same and be in front of the chemical name. Fluorine, since it is a non-metal, will become fluoride. The chemical name for this compound will be lithium fluoride!

MgO. Mg has a +2 charge (cation), which classifies this compound as ionic. Magnesium, being a metal, will stay the same and be in front of the chemical name. Oxygen, since it is a non-metal. will become oxide. The chemical name of this compound will be magnesium oxide!

Acid/Base Compounds: Nomenclature Using Flow Chart

HCl. Since hydrogen is a cation, this compound will be ionic. Normally, the second element in a chemical name would end with -ide, but since this compound has a hydrogen cation, it will go by acid nomenclature rules. since the single atom chlorine would've ended with an -ide, this translates to hydro-nonmetal-ic, then the word acid gets added to the end of the name. So, this compounds chemical name will be hydrochloric acid!

H2SO4. Since hydrogen is a cation, this compound will be ionic. since there are more than two elements, this compound will go under polyatomic naming rules. SO4, when referring to the polyatomic ion sheet, is sulfate. Since hydrogen cations are in this compound, we would refer to the acid nomenclature rules for ionic compounds. Since the polyatomic anion ends with an -ate suffix, it will be translated to -ic and the hydrogen gets removed from the chemical name. With this information, the chemical name for this compound will be sulfuric acid!

HNO2. Since hydrogen is a cation, this compound will be ionic. since there are more than two elements, this compound will go under polyatomic naming rules. NO3, when referring to the polyatomic ion sheet, is nitrite. Since a hydrogen cation is in this compound, we would refer to the acid nomenclature rules for ionic compounds. Since the polyatomic anion ends with an -ite suffix, it would be translated to -ous and the hydrogen would be removed from the chemical name. With this information, the chemical name for this compound will be nitrous acid!

Reflection:

Flow chart description and analysis: The flow chart shown above is used as a guide when it comes to finding the chemical name for compounds. It is split into two categories of compounds: ionic and molecular (covalent) compounds. From here, it goes down and becomes more and more specific to be able to pinpoint exactly what a compound's chemical name is. It does this by determining if the compound either has 2 non-metals or 1 metal and 1 non-metal. It also shows us prefixes used for covalent compounds and acid/base naming rules for ionic compounds. It also tells us how transition metal naming rules work for ionic compounds and the rules for polyatomic ions. It also shows us the importance of the element hydrogen when it comes to naming compounds and determining if ionic compounds are acids/bases. It proves to be a very useful tool for chemists trying to learn the language of chemistry.

My experience with the flow chart: This flow chart was very useful for me when it came to learning nomenclature. Before seeing this chart, I only really knew the basic rules and didn't realize how much more is involved when it comes to chemical names. I especially found it useful when it came to naming acid/base compounds. The way this chart guided me when finding the names for the chemicals listed above and allowed me to actually have a visual representation of how naming chemicals work was actually engaging and opened up a new perspective for me about the rules of nomenclature. I believe that this flow chart will prove useful as I move along on my chemistry journey and ever need a refresher on how chemical names are formed, especially when it comes to naming larger compounds. 

Self-reflection: When measuring how confident I am on this topic on a scale of 1-5, I would give myself a 4 in nomenclature. I gave myself this rating because I still do recall a lot about nomenclature from my previous chemistry class, and was still proficient in naming chemicals and determining if they are ionic or covalent compounds. The only thing I was a bit confused about was acid/base compounds for a bit, but I soon learned the gist of how to name them properly.

Question? Is the chemical nomenclature that we have learned universally accepted? 

What does it mean to be good at chemistry? I think being good at chemistry is not necessarily about knowing the most about it, but rather about being able to have an open mind to the concepts presented before you, and being able to apply your own thought process and ideas into it, and try to understand it. Being a good chemist is being able to accept when you are wrong and/or make a mistake and learn from the experience. It also means being willing to listen to other people's perspectives and personal analyses and being open to their observations.

Journal Reflection 4: Solubility 11/7/25

Reflection on Solubility Concepts:  

Solubility is a very important concept when determining how a compound will act within a solvent. When a substance is soluble, this means that the substance will be broken down into its respective cations and anions when in a solvent. This substance will be aqueous because it will dissolve in water. On the other hand, when a substance is insoluble, the compound will remain a compound when in a solvent, with the ions still bonded. This substance will remain a solid because it does not dissolve in water. The solubility table shown above is very helpful for chemists trying to determine what compounds will be soluble or insoluble by examining each respective ion of a compound. For example, if we are trying to find out potassium chlorides solubility, we would start by finding potassium in the top row of metals, which are the cations in a compound, then go down the side of the table where the non-metal anions and polyatomic ions are located. When we cross both K+ and Cl-, we will find our answer to the solubility properties of KCl, which is soluble.

There are many factors that have an influence on solubility of substances in a solvent. Temperature would have an impact on how fast soluble substances dissolve in solvent. An increase in temperature would result in intermolecular forces within the solution being broken more easily due to the increase in energy. The broken intermolecular forces would allow for the compounds to break down into their respective ions with less resistance. Polarity is also very important when determining solubility. A substance that has less polarity will be less soluble then a substance that has more polarity. This is the result of how the molecules in the solvent react with the molecules of the substance. For example, with NaCl, when in water solvent, the oxygen heads of the water molecule, which are slightly negative, will swarm the Na atoms, while the hydrogen tails of the water molecule, which are slightly positive, will swarm the Cl atoms. The attractions between the opposite charges will break apart the compounds into each of their respective ions. If a substance has low to no polarity, it will either remain insoluble or slightly soluble. The solvent used also has an impact on substance solubility. The polarity of the solvent will determine if a substance will be soluble or insoluble. Water, which is very polar, will more efficiently dissolve polar solutes then a non-polar solvent such as hexane, which is more efficient at dissolving non-polar solutes.

A good understanding of solubility rules and properties is absolutely essential in real-world applications. In medicine, solubility is important in measuring how drug chemicals dissolve in fluid and can be administered properly into the bloodstream at optimal concentrations. Finding out how chemicals used in drugs react in a water is very important, it can be the difference between life and death in a patient. If a chemical doesn't dissolve well, it can possibly be deadly.

Particle Diagrams: 

Final Reflection:  

"Reflect on a time in which you took advantage of the opportunity to revise and/or resubmit a course assignment. Explain how this opportunity impacted you as a chemistry student. Be specific. How do you plan for this experience to impact you going forward in this course?"

I have utilized the ability to resubmit course assignments as of now, one time. It was very helpful to be provided feedback with what I got wrong in my calculations in lab and be given the ability to go back and revise my submission. This experience showed me that if a student is willing to put in the effort to correct their errors and learn from their mistakes, they should be allowed to do so, as often times it is a very simple error that students put into their final submission that can go under the radar upon initial revision of the assignment. I plan to utilize this ability anytime something wrong slips by on my first submission so I can see my error and correct it, although I don't expect it to be like this in every chemistry class going forward so I will not abuse submissions as a way to find out what is wrong and what is right without effort to learn.