Chemical Formulas [ENDORSED]

[Kuldeep Gill 1H]

Hi, I was just wanted to know... to what extent should we know chemical formulas?

[Betty Wolkeba section 1L]

Dr. Lavelle did say that he was going to provide us with the chemical formulas for now, however it probably wouldnt hurt brushing up on how to write chemical formulas for future references.

[Chem_Mod]

Could you clarify by "to what extent" and be more specific? Chemical formula is almost like the starting point to chemistry with the exception of elements, so you should be able to write them and interpret what it is when given to you (i.e. CO2 is a carbon and 2 oxygen atoms, it is carbon dioxide)

[004985802]

you don't have to memorize any chemical formulas now

[Kuldeep Gill 1H]

We were told that we would eventually have to know how to write a formula given the name.... will we be taught how to do this??

[Andrew Berard 1F]

I'm sure we will be taught how to do this, but until then I don't think we have to worry about it.

[Chem_Mod]

Naming chemical compounds and knowing their formula is one of the first things you learn in chemistry and is something that even precedes the high school review portion. The names might become more familiar to you as you use them more often during this course, but given the number of topics we must cover during the course there will not be time to go over in super detail over the naming. Thus, for the simple compounds and polyatomic ions you should try to learn them as soon as you can. If you need resources, you can refer back to Fundamentals sections B through D and seek help during office hours.

[FizaBaloch1J]

Hi, I was just wanted to know... to what extent should we know chemical formulas?

For the first test, I am sure he will give us the formula itself so we shouldn't worry too much about that!

[Ignacio Ramirez 1J]

Hi, I was just wanted to know... to what extent should we know chemical formulas?

It is not necessary as he will provide us with the formula. However, I recommend knowing the chemical formulas for basic elements such as carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, sulfur, and potassium because most chemical formulas will involve these elements.

[Elana Weingord 1C]

My TA told me that we do not need to have the different formulas memorized, but need to know which formula is for electrons and which one is for a photon.

[FizaBaloch1J]

Yes, that is correct!

[Chem_Mod]

Just to be clear, what Elana is referring to is the equations and when to use them, not the chemical formulas.