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How does the naming of hydrochloric acid differ from the naming of oxyacids?
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oxyacid
The structure of phosphorous acid, H3PO3.
The nomenclature of acids is determined by whether the anion contains oxygen.
For acids where the anion does not contain oxygen, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl), the name is formed using the prefix hydro- and the suffix -ic.12
In contrast, the naming of oxyacidsâacids whose anions contain oxygenâdepends on the suffix of the parent anion:12
- -ate to -ic: If the anion name ends in -ate, the suffix is replaced by -ic (e.g., the sulfate anion becomes sulfuric acid).12
- -ite to -ous: If the anion name ends in -ite, the suffix is replaced by -ous (e.g., the sulfite anion becomes sulfurous acid).12
This system ensures that the presence or absence of oxygen is clearly reflected in the chemical name.12