Page 14 - Encyclopedia of Chemical Compounds 3 Vols

CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS

reader’ guide
reader’s guide

ater; sugar; nylon; vitamin C. These substances are all
W very different from each other. But they all share one
property in common: They are all chemical compounds. A che-
mical compound consists of two or more chemical elements,
joined to each other by a force known as a chemical bond.
This book describes 180 chemical compounds, some
familiar to almost everyone, and some less commonly known.
Each description includes some basic chemical and physical
information about the compound, such as its chemical for-
mula, other names by which the compound is known, and the
molecular weight, melting point, freezing point, and solubi-
lity of the compound. Here are some things to know about
each of these properties:
Other Names: Many chemical compounds have more than
one name. Compounds that have been known for many cen-
turies often have common names that may still be used in
industry, the arts, or some other field. For example, muriatic
acid is a very old name for the compound now called hydro-
chloric acid. The name remains in common use today. Marine
acid and spirit of salt are other ancient names for hydrochlo-
ric acid, but they are seldom used in the modern world. All
compounds have systematic names, names based on a set of
rules devised by the International Union of Pure and Applied
Chemistry (IUPAC). For example, the systematic name for the
0
poisonous gas whose common name is mustard gas is 2,2 -
dichlorodiethyl sulfide. When chemists talk about chemical

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