List of Chemical compounds- their common name, formula and uses

The given below table consists of the common names of important chemical compounds, their chemical formula and uses. The list has been prepared after a thorough analysis of previous year papers in which questions related to this topic were asked. This list is very helpful for the candidates preparing for various government exams like SSC CGL, State PCS, SSC CHSL, RRB NTPC, SSC CPO, RRB JE, SSC JE, etc. Read this study material and boost your preparation for the General Awareness section.

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Common Name	Chemical Compounds/Elements	Chemical Formula	Uses
Baking Soda	Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate or Sodium bicarbonate	NaHCO₃	It is used as an ingredient in baking.
Antiformin/ Bleach/ Chloride of Soda	Sodium hypochlorite	NaOCI/NaClO	It is used on a large scale for surface purification, bleaching, odour removal and water disinfection.
Bleaching Powder	Calcium Oxychloride	CaOCl₂	It is used as a bleaching agent and disinfectant.
Blue Vitriol	Copper Sulphate	CuSO₄.xH₂O	It is used to control fungus and algae.
Borax	Sodium tetraborate decahydrate/ Sodium Borate	Na₂[B₄O₅(OH)₄].8H₂O	It is used in laundry detergent.
Calomel	Mercurous chloride	Hg₂CI₂	It is used as a fungicide, and formerly in medicine as a purgative.
Carbolic Acid/ Hydroxybenzene/ Phenic Acid	Phenol	C₆H₅OH	It is used as a disinfectant in household cleaners.
Carborundum	Silicon carbide	SiC	It is used in automotive brakes and clutches.
Caustic potash	Potassium hydroxide	KOH	It is used in liquid fertilizers, potassium soaps and detergents.
Chile Saltpetre	Sodium Nitrate	NaNO₃	It is used for making high-strength glasses, fertilizers and explosives.
Chloroform	Trichloromethane	CHCI₃	It is used as a solvent for lacquer, floor polishes and resins.
Cream of tartar	Potassium hydrogen tartrate/ potassium bitartrate	KC₄H₅O₆	It is used in bakery to stabilize egg whites.
Dolomite	Calcium magnesium carbonate	CaMg(CO₃)₂	It is used as an ingredient in the production of glass, bricks, and ceramics.
Dry Ice	Solid carbon dioxide	CO₂	It is used to preserve food.
Epsom salt	Magnesium sulphate heptahydrate	MgSO₄.7H₂O	It is known to relieve pain and inflammation.
Freon-12/CFC-12	Dichlorodifluoromethane	CCl₂F₂	It is used as a refrigerant in refrigerators and air conditioners.
Galena	Lead (ll) sulphide	PbS	It is also used in a green glaze applied to pottery.
Glauber’s Salt	Sodium sulphate decahydrate	Na₂ SO₄.10H₂O	It is used in medicine and as a dyeing agent.
Glycerol	Propane-1,2,3-triol	C₃H₈O₃	It is used in food and skin care industry.
Green Vitriol	Ferrous sulphate heptahydrate	FeSO₄. 7H₂O	It is used in sewage and water treatment, and as a pigment, fertilizer.
Gypsum	Calcium sulphate dihydrate	CaSO₄.2H₂O	It is used to manufacture dry wall.

Common Name	Chemical Compounds/Elements	Chemical Formula	Uses
Heavy water	Deuterium Oxide	D₂O	It is used in nuclear reactors, as a neutron moderator.
Hypo Solution	Sodium Thiosulphate pentahydrate	Na₂S₂O₃.5H₂O	It is used for both film and photographic paper processing.
Hematite	Iron (lll) Oxide/ Ferric Oxide	Fe₂O₃	It is used to produce pigments, preparations for heavy media separation, radiation shielding etc.
Laughing gas	Dinitrogen monoxide / Nitrous Oxide	N₂O	It is used by dentist.
Quick Lime/ Burnt Lime	Calcium Oxide	CaO	It is used in production of iron and steel, paper and pulp and in treatment of water.
Slaked Lime	Calcium Hydroxide	Ca(OH)₂	It is used in mortars, plasters, and cements.
Limestone	Calcium carbonate	CaCO₃	It is used as a building material.
Litharge(Red) and Massicot (Yellow)	Lead (ll) Oxide/ Lead Monoxide	PbO	It is used in the manufacture of Lead Stabilizers pottery, Lead glass, paints, enamels, and inks.
Lye/ Caustic soda	Sodium hydroxide	NaOH	It is used in manufacture of pulp and paper, alumina, soap and detergents.
Marsh Gas	Methane	CH₄	It is poisonous gas mainly found in mines.
Methyl ethyl ketone/ Butanone	Butan-2-one	C₄H₈O	It is mainly used in paint formation.
Milk of magnesia	Magnesium hydroxide	Mg(OH)₂	It is used as an antacid to relieve indigestion, sour stomach, and heartburn.
Mohr’s Salt	Ammonium iron (II) sulphate	(NH₄)₂Fe(SO₄)₂ · 6H₂O	It is used to increase the shelf life of iron and reduce oxidation.
Aqua Fortis/ Spirit of Niter	Nitric acid	HNO₃	It is used for production of explosives, and fertilizers.
Muriatic acid	Hydrochloric acid	HCI	It is used as a food additive, and in gelatin production, Leather processing, etc.
Oil of Vitriol	Sulphuric acid	H₂SO₄	It is use for making fertilizer.
Wintergreen oil	Methyl salicylate	C₈H₈O₃	It is used in traditional medicine for the bacterial infections.
Phosgene	Carbonyl dichloride	COCl₂	It is used to make plastics and pesticides.
Plaster of Paris	Calcium sulphate hemihydrate	CaSO₄.1/2H₂O	It is used as a protective coating on walls and ceilings.
Potash Alum/Potassium Alum	Potassium aluminium sulphate dodecahydrate	KAl(SO₄)₂·12H₂O	It is commonly used in water purification, leather tanning, dyeing.
Rochelle Salt	Potassium sodium tartrate	KNaC₄H₄O₆.4H₂O	It is used in manufacturing of pectins and gelatines.
Quartz	Silicon dioxide (Silica)	SiO₂	It is used as oscillators in radios, watches.
QuickSilver	Mercury	Hg	It is used in thermometers, thermostats, barometers
Table Salt/Common Salt	Sodium chloride	NaCI	It is commonly used as a condiment and food preservative.
2-propanol/Propan-2-ol	Isopropyl alcohol	(CH₃)₂CHOH	It is used to treat tremors, chest pain, hypertension, heart rhythm disorders, and other heart or circulatory conditions.
Sal ammoniac	Ammonium chloride	NH₄CI	It is used as cleaning agent in several industrial processes.
Saltpetre	Potassium nitrate	KNO₃	It is used as a common food preservative.
Slaked Lime	Calcium hydroxide	Ca(OH)₂	It is used to form mortars, plasters, and cements.
TNT	Trinitrotoluene	C₆H₂(NO₂)₃CH₃	It is used in used in military shells, bombs, and grenades.
Vermilion/ Cinnabar	Mercuric sulphide	HgS	It is used as a pigment, and carve it into jewelry and ornaments.
Washing Soda	Sodium carbonate decahydrate	Na₂CO₃. 10H₂O	It is used in commercial detergent mixtures to treat hard water.
White Vitriol	Zinc Sulphate	ZnSO₄.7H₂O	It is used for preserving skins and wood.

If you keep an eye on the newest trend for General Awareness questions, you will note that Science facts cover a large chunk of it. Answering such questions is relatively easy for students who studied science in 10+2, but it gets challenging for those who did not. Nowadays, many questions regarding common names of chemical compounds are included in general examinations.

We have compiled all chemical formula list and their common names to assist you in rapidly reviewing significant Chemical compounds and common compounds list. If you are looking for a list of Chemical Compounds and the formula for SSC exams, you need to thoroughly review the above table.

Chemical names are only used to provide a precise description of a substance's makeup, but you'd never ask for sodium chloride at the dinner table. As a result, we utilize Common Names like table salt but keep in mind that they are not universal and vary from place to area. On the other hand, common names are vital to memorize because they are regularly asked in many competitive tests.

To help you answer the chemistry questions correctly, we've compiled a comprehensive collection of Chemical Formulas and Common Names. To get the most points, memorize the compounds and their formulae and answer the corresponding questions quickly.

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