What is a polyatomic ion?

A polyatomic ion is an ion composed of more than one kind of atom. For example, the hydrogen carbonate ion, HCO3^- (also called bicarbonate), ammonium ion (NH4^+), oxalate ion (C2O4^-2), phosphate ion (PO4^-3), sulfate ion (SO4^-2), sulfite (SO3^-2), nitrate ion (NO3^-) and so on into the night.

Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "polyatomic ion" to get these possible sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyatomic_ion
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/compounds/polyatomic.shtml#intro
http://www.800mainstreet.com/4/0004-009-Polyatomicions.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/polyatomic-ion

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.

Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "polyatomic ion" to get these possible sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyatomic_ion
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/compounds/polyatomic.shtml#intro
http://www.800mainstreet.com/4/0004-009-Polyatomicions.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/polyatomic-ion

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.

A polyatomic ion is an ion composed of more than one kind of atom. It is important to remember that when searching for information, it is always a good idea to use reliable sources such as reputable websites, textbooks, or scientific journals. In this case, you can search for "polyatomic ion" on websites like Wikipedia, educational websites, or chemistry-specific websites. These sources will provide detailed explanations and examples of polyatomic ions to help you understand the concept better.