But it considerably simplifies things if we view the carbonate ion as a whole rather than as parts. In the simplest reactions we will study, the carbonate ion is never broken up, so it makes sense to treat it as a single entity rather than the sum of its parts. But if you don't recognize carbonate ion, you won't be able to take advantage of this great simplification and you will be hopelessly confused the rest of the term. Consider the compound NH 4 NO 3 . This is a simple ionic compound.
Every chemist knows that it has two parts, a cation and an anion.
Every chemist recognizes the two parts. But to a beginner there appear to be 4 parts. To a beginner the compound seems more complicated than it has to be because he does not recognize the parts. There are 18 names for you to learn. There is no getting around this.