Officially boggled.
Dec. 12th, 2011 04:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
baratronA question for you at 4.30am:
Why on earth is the compound with formula Na2S2O4 called sodium HYDROsulfite when there's no sign of hydrogen anywhere near it? (It's also called sodium dithionate and sodium sulfoxylate, both of which are more sensible names). I'd think it was a typo for sodium hyposulfite if it wasn't so damned prevalent on the web. But sodium hyposulfite appears to be an old name for sodium thiosulphate, Na2S2O3.
Damn you, atoms with too many oxidation states for sensible names to work! (See also: nitrogen).
Why on earth is the compound with formula Na2S2O4 called sodium HYDROsulfite when there's no sign of hydrogen anywhere near it? (It's also called sodium dithionate and sodium sulfoxylate, both of which are more sensible names). I'd think it was a typo for sodium hyposulfite if it wasn't so damned prevalent on the web. But sodium hyposulfite appears to be an old name for sodium thiosulphate, Na2S2O3.
Damn you, atoms with too many oxidation states for sensible names to work! (See also: nitrogen).
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no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 09:14 am (UTC)This is why we have IUPAC naming, I'd guess.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 10:24 am (UTC)(ok, in Dutch we call it Natrium but in some cases we call compounds with it, such as Na2CO3, "soda"; in fact when sold for cleaning purposes that is typically called "zilversoda" and it certainly doesn't contain silver!)
no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 06:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-12 08:34 pm (UTC)But this part "hydro" in the hydrosulfite is FROM NOWHERE!