Thread: nomenculture: -ate

What determines that an oxyanion ends with -ate?

As in

why is sulfate SO4 2- (4 oxygen) while chlorate is ClO3- (3 oxygen)

if -ite, hypo-, per- are determined by the number of oxygen, I wonder why the same prefix or suffix should not have the same oxygen number

Is this because the -ate is assigned to the most common one?

http://www.shodor.org/unchem/basic/nomen/index.html

That should explain you the concepts. It has to do with oxidation state, not the number of oxygen molecules.

plese help me out a little bit more cuz I can't find anything about that having to do with oxidation states in that website you posted.

But I do see

THE MOST COMMON OXOANION ENDS WITH "-ATE"

Doesn't that mean what I said earlier?