Classification, Naming and Writing Formulas of Inorganic Compounds

Recognizing and Naming Binary Ionic Compounds

A binary compound is a compound in which only two elements are present.
Examples of binary compounds: NaCl, CO2, NH3, P4O10

A binary ionic compound is an ionic compound in which one element present is a

metal and the other element present is a non-metal.

Binary ionic compounds are named using the following rule: The full name of the
metallic element is given first, followed by a separate word containing the stem of the
non-metallic element name and the suffix –ide.
Example: NaF

Start with the name of the metal (sodium), follow it with the stem of the name of the
non-metal (fluor-), and then add the suffix –ide. The name becomes sodium fluoride.

Names of Selected Common Non-metallic elements
Element Stem Name of ion Formula of ion
−¿¿
bromine brom- bromide Br

carbon carb- carbide C

4−¿¿

chlorine chlor- chloride Cl−¿¿

−¿¿
fluorine fluor- fluoride F

hydrogen hydr- hydride H−¿ ¿

−¿¿
iodine iod- iodide I

nitrogen nitr- nitride N

3−¿¿

oxygen ox- oxide O

2−¿¿

phosphorus phosph- phosphide P

3−¿¿

sulfur sulf- sulfide S

2−¿¿

Exercises: Name the following ionic compounds:

1. MgO
2. Al2S3
3. K3N
4. CaCl2

There are other metals that exhibit a less predictable behavior because they are able to
form more than one type of ion.

For example, iron forms both Fe2+ ¿¿and Fe3 +¿¿ions, depending on chemical
circumstances.

When naming compounds that contain metals with variable ionic charges, the charge
on the metal ion must be incorporated into the name. This is done by using Roman
numerals.

Notes:
Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni: +2 and +3
Cu: +1 and +2
Au: +1 and +3
Sn, Pb: +2 and +4
Mercury ions

For example, the chlorides of Fe2+ ¿¿ and Fe3 +¿¿ ( FeCl2and FeCl3, respectively) are named
iron (II) chloride and iron (III) chloride.

Likewise, CuO is named as copper (II) oxide.

The charge on the non-metal ion present (which does not vary) can be used to calculate
the charge on the metal ion if the latter is unknown.

Knowledge about which metals exhibit variable ionic charge and which have a fixed
charge is a prerequisite for determining when to use Roman numerals in binary
ionic compound names.
Examples of metals that exhibit a fixed-charge behavior are the following:
Li +¿¿ Na +¿¿ K +¿¿ Rb +¿¿ Cs+¿ ¿ Be
2+¿ ¿
Mg
2+¿¿
Ca
2+¿ ¿
Sr
2+¿¿
Ba
2+¿¿

Ag+¿¿ Zn
2+¿¿
Cd
2+¿¿ 3 +¿¿
Al Ga
3+¿ ¿

POLYATOMIC IONS
There are two categories of ions: monoatomic and polyatomic. A monoatomic ion is an
ion formed from a single atom through loss or gain of electrons. Examples of which are
Cl−¿¿, Na +¿¿, Ca2+¿ ¿, Mg 2+¿¿, N 3−¿¿ and so on.

A polyatomic ion is an ion formed from a group of atoms (held together by covalent
bonds) through loss or gain of electrons.
An example of a polyatomic ion is the sulfate ion, SO−2
4

Formulas and Names of Some Common Polyatomic Ions

Key element present Formula Name of Ion

NO
3−¿ ¿
Nitrate

Nitrogen NO 2−¿ ¿ Nitrite

NH
4+ ¿¿
Ammonium
N
3−¿¿
Azide
SO 4
2−¿ ¿
Sulfate
HSO−¿¿
4 Hydrogen sulfate or bisulfate
SO 2−¿
3
¿
Sulfite
Sulfur
HSO−¿¿
3 Hydrogen sulfite or bisulfite
S2 O 3
2−¿ ¿
Thiosulfate
PO 4
3−¿¿
Phosphate

Phosphorus HPO4
2−¿¿
Hydrogen phosphate
−¿ ¿
H 2 PO 4 Dihydrogen phosphate
PO 3
3−¿¿
Phosphite
+ ¿¿
Hydrogen H 3 O❑ Hydronium
OH −¿¿ Hydroxide

Key element pres Formul Name of Ion

ent a
ClO
4 −¿¿
Perchlorate

Chlorine ClO3−¿¿ Chlorate

ClO
2−¿¿
Chlorite
Cl−¿¿ Hypochlorite
CO 3
2−¿ ¿
Carbonate

Carbon HCO
3−¿¿
Hydrogen carbonate or bicarbo
nate
C 2 O 2−¿¿
4 Oxalate
C2 H❑ −¿¿
3 O2 Acetate
−¿¿
CN Cyanide
−¿ ¿
MnO4 Permanganate

Metals CrO 4
2−¿¿
Chromate
Cr 2 O7
2−¿¿
Dichromate

POLYATOMIC IONS
1. Most of the polyatomic ions have a negative charge, which can vary from -1 to -3.
Only two positive ions have been listed: NH4+ (ammonium) and H3O+
(hydronium).
2. Two of the negatively charged polyatomic ions, OH- (hydroxide) and CN-
(cyanide), have names ending in –ide, and the rest of them have names ending in
either –ate or –ite.
3. A number of –ate, -ite pairs of ions, as in SO 24- (sulfate) and SO 2−¿
3
¿
(sulfite). The –
ate ion always has one more oxygen atom than the –ite ion. Both the –ate and –
ite ions of a pair carry the same charge.
4. A number of pairs of ions exist wherein one number of the pair differs from the
−¿ ¿
other by having a hydrogen atom present, as in CO 2−¿ 3
¿
(carbonate) and HCO3
(bicarbonate). In such pairs, the charge on the ion that contains hydrogen is
always 1 less than that on the other ion.
Chemical Formulas & Names for Ionic Compounds containing Polyatomic Ions
Two conventions not encountered previously in chemical formula writing often arise
when writing chemical formulas containing polyatomic ions.

1. When more than one polyatomic ion of a given kind is required in a chemical
formula, the polyatomic ion is enclosed in parenthesis, and a subscript, placed outside
the parentheses, is use to indicate the number of polyatomic ions needed. An example
is Fe(OH)3.
2. So that the identity of polyatomic ions is preserved, the same elemental symbol may
be used more than once in a chemical formula. An example formula is the NH4NO3,
where the chemical symbol for nitrogen (N) appears in two locations because both the
NH +¿¿ −¿¿
4 and NO 3 ions contain N.

Examples:
Determine the chemical formulas for the ionic compounds that contain these pairs of
ions.

1. Na +¿¿ and SO−2

4

−¿¿
2. Mg❑2+¿¿ and NO 3
+¿¿
3. NH 4 and CN −¿¿

The names of ionic compounds containing polyatomic ions are derived in a manner
similar to that for binary ionic compounds.

Metal + “stem of the non-metallic name” and the suffix -ide

Modification of the naming rule to accommodate polyatomic ion is as follows:

1. If a positive polyatomic ion is present, its name is substituted for that of the
metal.
2. If a negative polyatomic ion is present, its name is substituted for that of the non-
metal stem name and the “ide” suffix.
3. If both positive and negative polyatomic ions are present, dual name-substitution
occurs, and the resulting name includes just the names of the polyatomic ions.

Examples:
Name the following compounds, which contain one or more polyatomic ions.
 1. Ca3(PO4)2
2. Fe2(SO4)3
3. (NH4)2CO3

Summary:
 For binary ionic compounds:
 Full metal name + Roman numeral if variable-charge metal + stem of non-
metal name + suffix –ide
 For polyatomic ion-containing compounds:

If (+) ion is polyatomic : Polyatomic ion name + stem of non-metal name + suffix –ide

If (-) ion is polyatomic : Full metal name + Roman numeral if variable charge metal +
polyatomic ion name

If both ions are polyatomic : Positive polyatomic ion name + negative polyatomic ion
name

NAMING BINARY MOLECULAR COMPOUNDS

A binary molecular compound is a molecular compound in which only two non-
metallic elements are present.

Names for binary molecular compounds always contain numerical prefixes that give
the number of each type of atom present in addition to the names of the elements
present.

Rule:

The full name of the non-metal of lower electronegativity is given first, followed by a
separate word containing the stem of the name of the more electronegative non-metal
and the suffix –ide.

Numerical prefixes, giving number of atoms, precede the names of both non-metals.

In using the numerical prefixes, the prefix –mono is never used to modify the name of
the first element in the compound’s name, but is used to modify the name of the second
element in the compound’s name.
Exemption:
Compounds in which hydrogen is the first listed element in the formula are named
without numerical prefixes.

Number Numerical Prefix Example of Prefix Use

1 mono- CO Carbon monoxide
2 di- H2 F2 Dihydrogen difluoride
3 tri- NCl3 Nitrogen trichloride
4 tetra- S4 N 4 Tetrasulfur tetranitride
5 penta- ClF 5 Chlorine pentafluoride
6 hexa- I 2 F6 Diiodine hexafluoride
7 hepta- IF 7 Iodine heptafluoride
8 octa- P4 O8 Tetraphosphorus octoxide
9 nona- P 4 S9 Tetraphosphorus nonasulfide
10 deca- P4 S10 Tetraphosphorus decaselenide
Naming Binary Molecular Compounds
A few binary compounds have names that are completely unrelated to the naming rules
just discussed.
Selected Binary Molecular Compounds that have Common Names
Compound Formula Accepted Common Name
H2O Water
H2O2 Hydrogen Peroxide
NH 3 Ammonia
N2 H4 Hydrazine
CH 4 Methane
C2 H6 Ethane
PH 3 Phosphine
AsH 3 Arsine

NOMENCLATURE
 According to the IUPAC system  Fixed Oxidation State
(International Union of Pure and  Variable Oxidation State
Applied Chemistry)  Polyatomic
 Cations  Anions
 Monoatomic

 Monoatomic
 Polyatomic

A. Cations (Monoatomic)

a. Fixed Oxidation State – Group I (Potassium - K+) ; Group II (Calcium - Ca2+) –

state the name

b. Variable Oxidation State

 -ous (lower oxidation state) & -ic (higher oxidation state) system
 Stock system – using Roman numerals (e.g. (I), (II) or (III)) in indicating number
of atoms
 Cations (Polyatomic) – e.g. NH4+ - ammonium ion

 Anions (Monoatomic) – (-ide)

−¿¿
Cl chloride O
2−¿¿
oxide N
3−¿¿
nitride
S2−¿¿ sulfide F−¿¿ fluoride

 Anions (Polyatomic)
Oxyanions
ClO−¿
❑
¿
hypo      -ite
Partner (-ate [higher], -ite [lower −¿ ¿
]) ClO2 -ite
ClO−¿ ¿
-ate
SO 4
−2
sulfate 3

ClO−¿
4
¿
per       -ate
SO
−2
3 sulfite

EXAMPLES:
Name the following compounds:
1. MgBr2
2. CuCl2
3. FeSO4
4. (NH4)3PO3
Naming Compounds (acids)
 Binary (2 elements are present):
Hydro + root word + -ic acid

Examples:
1. H2S – hydrosulfuric acid

2. HCl – hydrochloric acid

3. H2Se – hydroselenic acid

4. HF – hydrofluoric acid
Polyatomic (3 or more elements are present):
Ends in the following suffixes: -ate ; -ite ; -ic ; -ous acid

Oxyacids: NAMING COMPUNDS (BASES)

HClO4 – perchloric acid
HClO3 – chloric acid M+ and OH- (hydroxide ion)
HClO2 – chlorous acid Examples:
HClO - hypochlorous acid 1. NH4OH – ammonium hydroxide
HNO3 – nitric acid
HNO2 – nitrous acid (the only non-metal that is combined
H3PO3 – phosphorous acid with OH-)
H2CO3 – carbonic acid 2. Mg(OH)2 – magnesium hydroxide
3. Fe(OH)3 – Iron(III) hydroxide

NAMING COMPOUNDS Anhydrous/anhydrates

(HYDRATES)
Hydrates – salts that can capture water
molecules

Example:
CuSO4 . 5H2O – copper sulfate
pentahydrate
MgSO4 . 7H2O – magnesium sulfate
heptahydrate
Greek prefix Value
Writing Formulas
mono 1
+¿¿
 Sodium hydroxide - Na and OH di 2
−¿¿
 Aluminum oxide - A Al3 +¿¿ and OH tri 3
+¿¿
 Potassium peroxide - K and O2−¿¿
3−¿¿
tetra 4
 Cobaltic phosphate – Co 3+¿ ¿and PO 4
−¿ ¿ penta 5
 Magnesium hydride - Mg 2+¿¿ and H
2+¿ ¿ −¿¿ hexa 6
 Mercurous nitrate - Hg2 and NO 3
hepta 7
oct 8
non 9
dec 10
undec 11
dodec 12