Back to Table of Contents Hydrates and Bases Hydrates are a class of compounds wich consist of two basic parts. An anhydrous salt chemically combined with a fixed number of water molecules . Copper II sulfate pentahydrate CuSO 4 . Since there are two distinct parts to a hydrate we keep them separate by placing a dot between the anhydrous portion and the water portion. Bases are substances that react with certain metal to produce hydrogen gas.
Bases consist of a metal and a hydroxide.
There are seven preliminary skills which the student must master before using these summary steps. The specific limits of each skill, which are given in parentheses, may be changed to suit the teacher. Using the periodic table, identify any element as metal or nonmetal. Memorize the correct spelling of names and symbols of selected elements. Note that a compound which contains a polyatomic ion must have more than two elements.