[Mikey15]

If I wanted to take a compound of say HNO2 and wanted to know its name as an acid, and its name and formula as a salt, how would I go about this.  I'm having a really hard time with this.  Thanks for any help that can be given.

[DevaDevil]

I am having a hard time understanding your question, but will try to answer anyway.

In case of an salt like NaNO₂ you have to know the cation and anion of the salt; in this case Na⁺ and NO₂^-. Those common ions you just have to learn. So this salt would be sodium nitrite.

As for acids, you just have to learn them. I cannot name an easy reminder aside from looking at the distinctive element.
For example: HNO₂ is called nitrous acid. (nitric acid is used for HNO₃), Sulfiric acid for H₂SO₄, Hydrochloric acid for HCl, Perchloric acid for HClO₄, Phosphoric acid for H₃PO₄ and Hydrofluoric acid for HF.

[Mikey15]

I'm sorry I misread the question in my work.  The acid info was helpful but what it wants me to do is name the acid, such as HBrO, and then write its name and formula as a sodium salt.  That's where I get stuck.  I also have no idea what the name of the acids with Br in it are.  There's HBrO2, HBrO4, HBrO3.  You don't have to name them all, I would just appreciate a starting point.

[azmanam]

try starting here

http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~courses/genchem/Tutorials/Naming/Acids.htm

[pzona69]

Do you know how to name polyatomic ions, like BrO₃^-, BrO₄^-2, etc.? If not, then learn how to do that. The oxyacids you named all contain polyatomic anions, and oxyacids get their names based on which oxoanion they contain.

[Mikey15]

All this was helpful, but I still can't name the acid as a sodium salt.

[Borek]

I still can't name the acid as a sodium salt.

Perhaps my English fails me but this phrase means nothing to me.

Do you mean: you have name of a salt and you want to know what acid was used to make it?

[azmanam]

I think you mean you want to know the name of an acid (i.e. HCl is hydrchloric acid) and the name of the sodium salt of its corresponding conjugate base (i.e. NaCl is sodium chloride).

Look at table V on the page I linked to .  It shows you what suffix you need on the 'anion' part to correctly name it.

It just takes practice.