Oxyanion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An oxyanion or oxoanion is a negatively charged polyatomic ion that contains oxygen. Every oxyanion is the conjugate base of an oxyacid.
Some elements (both metals and nonmetals) form several oxyanions with different numbers of oxygen atoms or different charges. These oxyanions and their conjugate oxyacids are named according to the oxidation state of the non-oxygen atom, for example the four oxyanions of chlorine:
Anion | Formula | Conjugate acid | Oxidation state |
---|---|---|---|
Hypochlorite | ClO− | Hypochlorous acid | +1 |
Chlorite | ClO2− | Chlorous acid | +3 |
Chlorate | ClO3− | Chloric acid | +5 |
Perchlorate | ClO4− | Perchloric acid | +7 |
In general, the oxidation states may be different from these, but the order of the prefixes and suffixes remains the same.