Naming Ionic & Covalent Compounds

4C CHEMISTRY

Steps to Naming Covalent Compounds

● Recall that covalent compounds consist of shared electrons between two
non-metals.

● First, identify the elements present.

● Second, look at the subscript of each element to determine which prefix to use.
(If an element does not have a prefix, assume that the subscript is “1.”

● Third, apply the naming scheme below. (Note: If the prefix of the first element
would be “mono-”, it is not needed.)
Steps to Naming Ionic Compounds

● Recall that ionic compounds consist of a positively charged cation and a

negatively charged anion.

● Ions (of either variety) may contain either a single element or more than one
element. (When an ion consists of more than one element, we refer to it as a
“polyatomic ion.”)

● To recognize an ionic compound, look for the presence of a metal or a known

polyatomic ion- once you find one, you more than likely have an ionic compound.

● When we name an ionic compound, we do not use prefixes; instead, use one
following naming schemes: