CLASSIFICATION,

NAMING AND
WRITING FORMULAS
OF INORGANIC
COMPOUNDS
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, the student is
expected to:

1. Recognize and name ionic and covalent

compounds
2. Name and write chemical formulas of
compounds
RECOGNIZING
AND NAMING
BINARY IONIC
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.
RECOGNIZING AND NAMING
BINARY IONIC COMPOUNDS
 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
RECOGNIZING AND NAMING
BINARY IONIC COMPOUNDS
 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.
RECOGNIZING AND NAMING
BINARY IONIC COMPOUNDS
 For example, the chlorides of Fe2+ and Fe3+ (FeCl2 and 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.
RECOGNIZING AND NAMING
BINARY IONIC COMPOUNDS
 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+ Be2+ Mg2+ Ca2+ Sr2+ Ba2+

Ag+ Zn2+ Cd2+ Al3+ Ga3+
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+, Mg2+,
N3- 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, SO4-2
POLYATOMIC IONS
 Polyatomic ions are very stable and general maintain their identity
during chemical reactions.

 Polyatomic ions are not molecules, they never occur alone as

molecules do. Instead, they are always found associated with ions
of the opposite charge.
 Polyatomic ions are charged pieces of compounds, not compounds
themselves.
Key element present Formula Name of Ion
NO3- Nitrate
NO2- Nitrite Formulas and
Nitrogen
NH4+ Ammonium Names of
Some
N3- Azide
Common
SO42- Sulfate Polyatomic
HSO4- Hydrogen sulfate or bisulfate Ions
Sulfur
SO32- Sulfite
HSO3- Hydrogen sulfite or bisulfite
S2O32- Thiosulfate
Phosphorus PO43- Phosphate
HPO42- Biphosphate
H2PO4- Dihydrogen phosphate
PO33- Phosphite
Hydrogen H3O+ Hydronium
OH- Hydroxide
Key element present Formula Name of Ion
ClO4- Perchlorate
ClO3- Chlorate Formulas and
Chlorine
ClO2- Chlorite Names of
Some
ClO- Hypochlorite
Common
CO32- Carbonate Polyatomic
HCO3- Hydrogen carbonate or bicarbonate Ions
Carbon
C2O42- Oxalate
C2H3O2- Acetate
CN- Cyanide
MnO4- Permanganate
Metals
CrO42- Chromate
Cr2O72- Dichromate
POLYATOMIC IONS
1. Mot 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.
POLYATOMIC IONS
3. A number of –ate, -ite pairs of ions, as in SO42- (sulfate) and SO32-
(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 32-
(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 AND
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.
CHEMICAL FORMULAS AND
NAMES FOR IONIC COMPOUNDS
CONTAINING POLYATOMIC IONS
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
NH4+ and NO3- ions contain N.
CHEMICAL FORMULAS AND
NAMES FOR IONIC COMPOUNDS
CONTAINING POLYATOMIC IONS
Examples:
Determine the chemical formulas for the ionic compounds that
contain these pairs of ions.

1. Na+ and SO42-

2. Mg2+ and NO3-
3. NH4+ and CN-
CHEMICAL FORMULAS AND
NAMES FOR IONIC COMPOUNDS
CONTAINING POLYATOMIC IONS
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

CHEMICAL FORMULAS AND
NAMES FOR IONIC COMPOUNDS
CONTAINING POLYATOMIC IONS
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.
CHEMICAL FORMULAS AND
NAMES FOR IONIC COMPOUNDS
CONTAINING 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
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.
NAMING BINARY
MOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
 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.
NAMING BINARY
MOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
 Rule:
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- H2F2 Hydrogen difluoride
3 tri- NCl3 Nitrogen trichloride
4 tetra- S4N4 Tetrasulfur tetranitride
5 penta- ClF5 Chlorine pentafluoride
6 hexa- I2F6 Diiodine hexafluoride
7 hepta- IF7 Iodine heptafluoride
8 octa- P4O8 Tetraphosphorus octoxide
9 nona- P4S9 Tetraphosphorus nonasulfide
10 deca- P4Se10 Tetraphosphorus decaselenide
NAMING BINARY
MOLECULAR COMPOUNDS Selected Binary Molecular Compounds that
 A few binary compounds have Common Names
have names that are Compound Formula Accepted Common
completely unrelated to the Name
naming rules just discussed. H2O Water
H2O2 Hydrogen Peroxide
NH3 Ammonia
N2H4 Hydrazine
CH4 Methane
C2H6 Ethane
PH3 Phosphine
AsH3 Arsine
NOMENCLATURE
 According to the IUPAC system (International Union of Pure and
Applied Chemistry)
 Cations
 Monoatomic
 Fixed Oxidation State
 Variable Oxidation State
 Polyatomic
 Anions
 Monoatomic
 Polyatomic
NOMENCLATURE
 Cations (Monoatomic)
I. Fixed Oxidation State – Group I (Potassium - K+) ; Group II
(Calcium - Ca2+) – state the name
II. Variable Oxidation State
a. -ous (lower oxidation state) & -ic (higher oxidation state) system
b. Stock system – using Roman numerals (e.g. (I), (II) or (III)) in
indicating number of atoms
 Cations (Polyatomic) – e.g. NH4+ - ammonium ion
NOMENCLATURE
 Anions (Monoatomic) – (-ide)
Cl - chloride O 2- oxide N 3- nitride
S 2- sulfide F- fluoride

 Anions (Polyatomic)
Oxyanions
Partner (-ate [higher], -ite
[lower]) ClO- hypo -ite
SO42- sulfate ClO2- -ite
ClO3- -ate
SO 3
2-
sulfite
ClO4- per -ate
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:
 H2S – hydrosulfuric acid
 HCl – hydrochloric acid
 H2Se – hydroselenic acid
 HF – hydrofluoric acid
NAMING COMPOUNDS
(ACIDS)
 Polyatomic (3 or more elements are present):
 Ends in the following suffixes: -ate ; -ite ; -ic ; -ous acid

Oxyacids:
 HClO4 – perchloric acid
 HClO3 – chloric acid
 HClO2 – chlorous acid
 HClO - hypochlorous acid
 HNO3 – nitric acid
 HNO2 – nitrous acid
 H3PO3 – phosphorous acid
 H2CO3 – carbonic acid
NAMING COMPOUNDS
(BASES)
 M+ and OH- (hydroxide ion)

 Examples:
1. NH4OH – ammonium hydroxide (the only non-metal that is
combined with OH-
2. Mg(OH)2 – magnesium hydroxide
3. Fe(OH)3 – Iron(III) hydroxide
NAMING COMPOUNDS
(HYDRATES) Greek prefix Value
 Hydrates – salts that can capture water mono 1
molecules di 2
tri 3
 Example:
tetra 4
 CuSO4 . 5H2O – copper sulfate penta 5
pentahydrate hexa 6
hepta 7
 MgSO4 . 7H2O – magnesium sulfate
oct 8
heptahydrate non 9
dec 10
undec 11
 Anhydrous/anhydrates
dodec 12
WRITING FORMULAS
 Sodium hydroxide - Na+ and OH-
 Aluminum oxide - Al3+ and OH-
 Potassium peroxide - K+ and O2-
 Cobaltic phosphate – Co3+ and PO43-
 Magnesium hydride - Mg2+ and H-
 Mercurous nitrate - Hg22+ and NO3-
REFERENCES:
 Chang, Raymond. General Chemistry, 7th edition, McGraw
Hill 2014
 Stoker, H. Stephen. Exploring General, Organic and
Biological Chemistry, 6th edition. 2013.