Summary:
- An acid is a molecular compound that contains one or more hydrogen atoms and produces hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water.
- Acids are molecular, which means that in their pure state they are individual molecules and do not adopt the extended three-dimensional structures of ionic compounds like NaCl.
- Since acids produce H+ cations upon dissolving in water, the H of an acid is written first in the formula of an inorganic acid.
- The remainder of the acid (other than the H) is the anion after the acid dissolves.
- It is this suffix of the anions that determines how the acid is named as displayed in the rules and Table below.