What does an -ite or -ate ending in a polyatomic ion mean?

Sulfur is in the formula.

Nitrogen is in the formula.

Bromine is in the formula.

Oxygen is in the formula.

Respuesta :

An -ate polyatomic is one that contains oxygen, and an -ite has one of the oxygen atoms removed from the -ate form. For example, chlorate would be ClO3-, and chlorite would be ClO2-. For both, the suffixes mean that oxygen is in the formula.
The ite or ate ending in a polyatomic would refer to the presence of oxygen in the chemical formula.

For example
nitrate = NO3 - or sulphate = (SO4)^-2.