Secret Agent (your name) ______Class______

How do you Break the Code?

Introduction

You are a spy from Earth and you have landed on the planet IUPAC in the Ionic galaxy. In violation of an intergalactic treaty, the IUPACians have been hiding vital chemical compounds from the earth. You know the names for the vital compounds, but the IUPACians do not use names. They use a strange language to describe compounds. To save your planet, you must find out the IUPACian formulas of these compounds and turn them in to the Top Secret Agent.

Prior to this mission, Secret Agent Beaker was working undercover in the IUPACian warehouse. His job was to label chemicals with their formulas using the IUPACian symbols. As he labeled the containers, he tried to decode them into Earth names and write them on a drawing. One day the supervisor was checking Beaker’s work. He became suspicious when he discovered that Beaker did not know how to write IUPACian formulas correctly. The supervisor pointed out the correct formulas and Beaker secretly marked them on his drawing. The supervisor initiated and investigation of Beaker because all IUPACians know the method for writing formulas. IUPACian intelligence concluded that Beaker was a spy. Secret Agent Beaker was executed before he could correct and finish his drawing.

You will be given Agent Beaker’s incomplete drawing to correct and finish decoding. A copy of his notes will also be provided.

Objectives

1.  To examine a list of names and formulas and establish a strategy for naming and writing formulas of certain chemical compounds.

2.  To use the strategies you have established to correct and decode the labels on chemical s in the IUPAC stockroom.

3.  To submit the IUPACian formulas of the vital chemical compounds to the Top Secret Agent.

Materials

Secret Agent Beaker’s last drawing and notes.

Procedure

1.  Obtain materials.

2.  Compare the formulas to the names in Beaker’s notes and figure out the method for writing the IUPAC formulas.

3.  Using the method you devised from Beaker’s notes, fill in and correct as many labels as possible on Beaker’s drawing.

4.  Compare your group’s method for writing formulas with that of another group of Secret Agents. Discuss any differences in your methods. Come to a consensus on as many labels on Beaker’s drawing as possible.

5.  A second page of Beaker’s notes has just been received (via subspace communication). Obtain page 2 of Beaker’s notes and repeat procedures 2-4.

6.  Beaker’s remains were shipped back to Earth. Among his personal effects (pocket protector, graphing calculator, etc.) a third page was found. Obtain the last page of Beaker’s notes and repeat Procedures 2-4.

7.  Obtain the list of chemicals necessary for the survival of Earth, write the IUPACian formulas, and turn it in to the Top Secret Agent.

Study Questions

1.  Which type of ion has its name written first in the name of an ionic compound?

2.  What do subscripts indicate in a chemical formula?

3.  What suffix (ending) is used in naming monatomic anions?

4.  In a formula for an ionic compound, what is the sum of all of the charges?

5.  In iron (III) chloride, what does the Roman numeral stand for?

6.  How do you determine the charge of a transition metal ion when written in a chemical formula?

7.  What is a polyatomic ion?

8.  In writing the formula for ammonium carbonate (NH4)2CO3, why must the parentheses be used?

Chemicals needed for the Survival of Earth

Earth Name IUPACian formula

aluminum sulfide ______

potassium oxide ______

magnesium hydroxide ______

calcium phosphate ______

nickel (II) oxide ______

sodium bromide ______

lead (IV) oxide ______

iron (III) chromate ______

chromium (II) oxide ______

magnesium carbide ______


Beaker’s Notes

Earth Name / IUPACian Formulas
sodium chloride / Na+1 + Cl-1 = NaCl
sodium sulfide / 2Na+1 + S-2 = Na2S
sodium nitride / 3Na+1 + N-3 = Na3N
magnesium chloride / Mg+2 + 2Cl-1 = MgCl2
magnesium oxide / Mg+2 + O-2 = MgO
magnesium phosphide / 3Mg+2 + 2P-3 = Mg3P2
aluminum chloride / Al+3 + 3Cl-1 = AlCl3
aluminum oxide / 2Al+3 + 3O-2 = Al2O3
aluminum nitride / Al+3 + N-3 = AlN

Method/Trends for writing formulas:______

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Beaker’s Notes (Page 2)

Earth Name / IUPACian Formulas
iron (II) oxide / FeO
iron (III) oxide / Fe2O3
copper (I) bromide / CuBr
copper (II) bromide / CuBr2
copper (I) oxide / Cu2O
tin (II) sulfide / SnS
tin(IV) sulfide / SnS2

Method/Trends for writing formulas: ______

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Beaker’s Notes (Page 3)

ammonium NH4+1 acetate C2H3O2-1

hydroxide OH-1 permanganate MnO4-1

carbonate CO3-2 nitrate NO3-1

sulfate SO4-2 chromate CrO4-2

Earth Name / IUPACian Formulas
sodium nitrate / NaNO3
magnesium nitrate / Mg(NO3)2
aluminum nitrate / Al(NO3)3
ammonium acetate / NH4C2H3O2
ammonium carbonate / (NH4)2CO3
ammonium phosphate / (NH4)3PO4

Method/Trends for writing formulas: ______

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