# The chemical name for water
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 14, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739 "2004-11-14T18:55:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/21 "2004-11-15T00:29:44Z")
> [@Muffin](#):
>
> Aitchtwooski.
Bless you!
Coming down with a cold, are we?
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/22 "2004-11-15T01:05:07Z")
Webelements’ entry on [hydrogen (1) oxide](http://www.webelements.com/webelements/compounds/text/H/H2O1-7732185.html)
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### Author:  [@Faldage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faldage)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/23 "2004-11-15T02:38:09Z")
It’s not exactly a chemical name, more geological (or should that be titanological?), but there’s always [molten ice](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/media/cassini-110904.html).
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### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/24 "2004-11-15T03:43:52Z")
If that’s the case how about **liquid steam**?
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### Author:  [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/25 "2004-11-15T04:43:07Z")
Hydrogen ash.
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### Author:  [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/26 "2004-11-15T10:55:34Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#):
>
> Chemically speaking, that’s probably the best, give the way water diassociates into H[sup]+[/sup] and OH[sup]-[/sup] ions.
Vindicated! After 20 long years, vindicated! My high school chemistry teacher poured scorn on me in 5th form for asserting that water was hydrogen hydroxide. In your face, Mr Sockswithsandals!
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### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/27 "2004-11-15T13:24:01Z")
> [@Middlecase](#):
>
> Vindicated! After 20 long years, vindicated! My high school chemistry teacher poured scorn on me in 5th form for asserting that water was hydrogen hydroxide. In your face, Mr Sockswithsandals!
He did? Did he believe water was one of the four basic elements that compose the universe, or what?
Incidentally, this is just more reason not to trust those who wear socks with sandals.
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### Author:  [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/28 "2004-11-15T15:49:27Z")
Polycarp: Sulfate is SO[sub]4[/sub][sup]2+[/sup]. In the sulfate ion, two of the four oxygens are double-bonded to the sulfur, and two are single-bonded to the sulfur and have a negative charge. (Not really; it’s actually more like two units of negative charge shared equally between all four oxygens, but for most purposes you can think of it like that.) Each of the negative charges can attract one unit of positive charge, in this case usually H[sup]+[/sup] (which is really H[sub]3[/sub]O[sup]+[/sup], usually). Since it’s a strong acid, you would find almost no H[sub]2[/sub]SO[sub]4[/sub] in a bottle of sulfuric acid; most of it would be dissociated into SO[sub]4[/sub][sup]2+[/sup] and two hydronium ions, H[sub]3[/sub]O[sup]+[/sup].
**Hydrogen(I) oxide** is the most rigorous chemical name for water that has any practical use. Here, the hydrogen is treated as a metal, and its oxidation state is given as (I), so it means H[sup]+[/sup]. ‘Oxide’ always is O[sub]2[/sub][sup]2-[/sup], so ‘hydrogen(I) oxide’ implies H[sub]2[/sub]O. You don’t need to specify how many of each atom there are (‘dihydrogen monoxide’), because that’s implied by the name.
You can’t have hydrogen(II), though, because it only has one electron to lose. So it’s really unnecessary to specify ‘hydrogen (I) oxide’; just ‘hydrogen oxide’ is enough. This is analogous to ‘deuterium oxide’ or heavy water.
‘Hydrogen hydroxide’ is appropriate when water is acting as an [Arrhenius base](http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch11/acidbase.html#arrhen), a source of hydroxyl ions (OH[sup]-[/sup]). ‘Hydroxylic acid’ is an appropriate name for water acting as an Arrhenius acid, a source of hydrogen ions (H[sup]+[/sup], again usually H[sub]3[/sub]O[sup]+[/sup], but Arrhenius didn’t know that). Either way, though, you’re referring to H[sup]+[/sup] and OH[sup]-[/sup]; it’s just a question of which you have more of. The Arrhenius definition of acids and bases isn’t used much outside high school chemistry classes, and the Bronsted-Lowry definition (where water can be an acid or a base depending on whether it’s acting as a proton donor or a proton acceptor) doesn’t really suggest these names.
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### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/29 "2004-11-15T16:03:41Z")
New! **Re-Hy-Drogen®**!
Science has discovered a compound of hydrogen that is both flame-proof and rehydrating.
“It’s odor and taste-free, and can be used for a huge number of purposes. I use it in the morning, during the day, and in the evening. It’s so safe that I give it to my kids - and it’s so economical!”
As used by presidents, sportspeople, and Britney Spears.
Warning: Re-Hy-Drogen® can be dangerous if inhaled. Always read the label.
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### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/30 "2004-11-15T18:36:41Z")
Recent studies have shown that Re-Hy-Drogen® was responsible for 100% of the drowning deaths in Lake Erie !!! It may be presumptuous to speculate at this early stage, but it has been suggested that Re-Hy-Drogen® _may_ have been the death-by-drowning chemical in other areas of the country as well !!!
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### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/31 "2004-11-15T18:52:44Z")
The statistics are quite alarming. Re-Hy-Drogen® has now become the “chemical of choice” among the drug culture (and even mainstream America). Rigid quantitative chemical analysis reveals Re-Hy-Drogen® consists mainly of hydrogen hydroxide - the _leading_ cause of drowning deaths in Lake Erie !!!
What makes this drug so insidious is that it is plentiful and reasonably cheap to obtain. The kids “in the know” refer to it as “molten ice”, “liquid steam”, “hydrogen ash”, “splash”, “drip” and a host of other colorful names. But don’t let those innocent-sounding names fool you. This stuff is deadly. Please do not allow your kids to become yet another victim of this lethal liquid.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/32 "2004-11-15T18:55:05Z")
Anyone remember the AUH[sub]2[/sub]0 bumper stickers?
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### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/33 "2004-11-15T19:17:31Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#):
>
> Recent studies have shown that Re-Hy-Drogen® was responsible for 100% of the drowning deaths in Lake Erie !!! It may be presumptuous to speculate at this early stage, but it has been suggested that Re-Hy-Drogen® _may_ have been the death-by-drowning chemical in other areas of the country as well !!!
Re-Hy-Drogen® has been connected with damage to building, roads and other structures, especially when they are covered by excessive amounts of it after Re-Hy-Drogen® is precipitated. Some experts believe it is a major factor associated with soil erosion as well. Perhaps its use should be banned until further study shows that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
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### Author:  [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/34 "2004-11-15T19:47:56Z")
Studies have shown that at least 20% of violent crimes occurring in the past six months were committed by people with traces of Re-Hy-Drogen® in their systems. Some experts believe that the actual percentage may be significantly higher.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/35 "2004-11-15T21:23:37Z")
> [@](#):
>
> You can’t have hydrogen(II), though, because it only has one electron to lose. So it’s really unnecessary to specify ‘hydrogen (I) oxide’; just ‘hydrogen oxide’ is enough. This is analogous to ‘deuterium oxide’ or heavy water.
Except that I’ve seen references to HO and H[sub]3[/sub]O, and of course there’s also H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub], all of which could also be referred to as “hydrogen oxide”.
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### Author:  [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/36 "2004-11-15T21:47:41Z")
Aqua Regular. (Chem students will recognize the pun.) 😃
In reference to the superscripts, why is the isotope sometimes written to the right of the symbol? Coulda sworn I’d seen it written on the left, as in [sup]238[/sup]U (actually, [sup]238[/sup][sub]92[/sub]U, except that the board doesn’t seem to have an option to stack text) and the right was reserved for ionization states, e.g. U[sup]3+[/sup]. Is this an older usage?
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/37 "2004-11-15T23:20:37Z")
> [@cityboy916](#):
>
> Aqua Regular.
Could I get some Aqua Decaf instead?
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### Author:  [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/38 "2004-11-15T23:28:23Z")
> [@rippingtons\_fan](#):
>
> I know that H2O is called water, and I know water is called H2O. But what would this substance be called if the actual chemical elements were pronounced as they are in other substances, for example CO2 being carbon dioxide?
>
> (I used regular-size numerals because I don’t know how to make small numerals on my computer.)
How about an aquaeous solution that’s stabilized at pH 7?
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### Author:  [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/39 "2004-11-16T00:02:19Z")
My high school chem final had this question for extra credit.
What is BaNa[sub]2[/sub]?
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### Author:  [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chemical-name-for-water/274739/40 "2004-11-16T00:10:28Z")
Chronos: Right, but you wouldn’t think of those other ones as ‘hydrogen oxide’. ‘Oxide’ refers to O[sup]2-[/sup] (I accidentally put a subscript 2 in it before and didn’t check it). O[sub]2[/sub][sup]2-[/sup] is ‘peroxide’. So ‘hydrogen oxide’ refers to H[sub]2[/sub]O and H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub] is ‘hydrogen peroxide’. The other entities have their own names, and also don’t contain the oxide radical: OH[sup]-[/sup] is ‘hydroxide ion’, H[sub]3[/sub]O[sup]+[/sup] is ‘hydronium ion’. Though these compounds contain only hydrogen and oxygen, they are not all hydrogen oxides (although I can see people calling them that a very long time ago).
cityboy916: Yes, that’s correct according to IUPAC’s recommendations. The bottom-left subscript, atomic number, is not often used in chemistry because the element symbol implies the atomic number, though it is often used in nuclear physics since it makes it easier to balance reactions. Chemists usually just use the top left superscript to indicate the atomic mass of an isotope: [sup]13[/sup]C. (Also, most modern software not explicitly designed for technical use doesn’t allow stacked numbers, so it’s difficult to put those numbers in.) On the right side, the right subscript is used for the number of atoms of that type in a formula (as in H[sub]2[/sub]O).
The right superscript is used for information concerning charge. Most often this is an oxidation state written like SO[sub]4[/sub]**[sup]2-[/sup]**. The right superscript can also be used for Roman numerals indicating formal oxidation state in a metal, as in [Ptsup/sup[sub]2[/sub]Cl[sub]2[/sub])Cl[sub]2[/sub], or for partial charges, as in H[sup][symbol]d[/symbol]+[/sup]O[sup][symbol]d[/symbol]-[/sup]H[sup][symbol]d[/symbol]+[/sup] (a way of writing water to indicate the partial charges).
I haven’t heard the ‘aqua regular’ thing. Never. What’s really funny is that I wrote a formula for a platinum compound without saying anything about its geometry or the metal’s d-electron configuration. If there are any inorganic chemists here, please feel free to take your red pens, write NO!!! on your monitors, write a paragraph about how I should have specified if it was _cis_ or _trans_ with respect to the chloride ligands, and proceed to give me 0 out of 10 for this post. =)
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