What is the name of Pb(OH)2?

1 Answer
May 7, 2018

Lead (II) hydroxide.

Explanation:

The compound Pb(OH2) contains two ions:

  • The cation Pb2+, and
  • The anion OH.

Pb (lead) is a transition metal and has more than one possible oxidation state. Hence by the IUPAC naming law, it would be necessary to indicate the oxidation state of the element using Roman numerals contained in brackets. [1]

The Pb2+ ion has an ionic charge of 2+, meaning that it has 2 fewer electrons than protons. Thus its oxidation charge would be +2, which corresponds to the systematic name Lead(II).

The anion OH is the hydroxide ion. Combining the name of the cation with that of the anion would give the name of this ionic compound.

Reference
[1] IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, the English Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IUPAC_nomenclature_of_inorganic_chemistry