On 4/23/2003 8:43:32 AM, summer sanders wrote:
>Let me see if I got this
>right, polyatomic anions would
>be positively charged atoms
>with many more than one atom?

Polyatomic ions can be positive (cations) or negative (anions). Most on your list are polyatomic anions, but you also have one polyatomic cation (ammonium).
>
>So on the atomic structure
>work sheet how do we know if
>the formula is negative or
>positive? (c and d).
If there are extra electrons, it's negative. If there are missing electrons, it's positive.

Does it
>matter what in which order you
>write the formula? example
>would be on letter c on the
>same work sheet OH- , could it
>be HO-?

Yes it matters, but there are so many exceptions it gets confusing. Generally you list the positive one first (the one with the lowest electronegativity), but OH- is an exception.

sg