CHEMICAL NOMENCLATURE

Chemical nomenclature is the term given to the naming of compounds.

Chemists use specific rules and "conventions" to name different
compounds. This section is designed to help you review some of those
rules and conventions.
Oxidation and Reduction

When forming compounds, it is important to know something about the way atoms
will react with each other. One of the most important manners in which atoms and/or
molecules react with each other is the oxidation/reduction reaction.
Oxidation/Reduction reactions are the processes of losing and gaining electrons
respectively. Just remember, "LEO the lion
says GER:" Lose Electrons Oxidation, Gain Electrons Reduction. Oxidation numbers are
assigned to atoms and compounds as a way to tell scientists where the electrons are in
a reaction. It is often referred to as the "charge" on the atom or compound. The
oxidation number is assigned according to a standard set of rules. They are as follows:
• An atom of a pure element has an oxidation number of zero.
• For single atoms in an ion, their oxidation number is equal to their charge.
• Fluorine is always -1 in compounds.
• Cl, Br, and I are always -1 in compounds except when they are combined with O or F.
• H is normally +1 and O is normally -2.
• The oxidation number of a compound is equal to the sum of the oxidation numbers
for each atom in the compound.
 Forming Ionic Compounds

Knowing the oxidation number of a compound is very important when discussing ionic
compounds. Ionic compounds are combinations of positive and negative ions. They are
generally formed when nonmetals and metals bond. To determine which substance is
formed, we must use the charges of the ions involved. To make a neutral molecule, the
positive charge of the cation (positively-charged ion) must equal the negative charge of the
anion (negatively-charged ion). In order to create a neutral charged molecule, you must
combine the atoms in certain proportions. Scientists use subscripts to identify how many of
each atom makes up the molecule. For example, when combining magnesium and nitrogen
we know that the magnesium ion has a "+2" charge and the nitrogen ion has a "-3" charge. To
cancel these charges, we must have three magnesium atoms for every two nitrogen atoms:
3Mg2+ + 2N3- --> Mg3N2
Knowledge of the charges of ions is crucial to knowing the formulas of the compounds formed.
• alkalis (1st column elements) form "+1" ions such as Na+ and Li+
• alkaline earth metals (2nd column elements) form "2+" ions such as Mg2+ and Ba2+
• halogens (7th column elements) form "-1" ions such as Cl- and I-
Arrangement of Atoms

In naming ions, it is important to consider "isomers." Isomers are

compounds with the same molecular formula, but different
arrangements of atoms. Thus, it is important to include some signal
within the name of the ion that identifies which arrangement you are
talking about. There are three main types of classification, geometric,
optical and structural isomers.
Naming Ionic Compounds

The outline below provides the rules for naming ionic compounds:
Positive Ions
• Monatomic cations (a single atom with a positive charge) take the name
of the element plus the word "ion"

Examples:
• Na+ = sodium ion
• Zn+2 = zinc ion 
If an element can form more than one (1) positive ion, the charge is
indicated by the Roman numeral in parentheses followed by the word "ion"

Examples:
• Fe2+ = iron(II) ion
• Fe3+ = iron (III) ion
• Negative Ions
• Monatomic anions (a single atom with a negative charge) change their ending to "-ide"

Examples:
• O2- = oxide ion
• Cl- = chloride ion 
• Oxoanions (negatively charged polyatomic ions which contain O) end in "-ate". However, if there is more than
one oxyanion for a specific element then the endings are:
• Polyatomic anions (a negatively charged ion containing more than one type of element) often add a
hydrogen atom; in this case, the anion's name either adds "hydrogen-" or "bi-" to the beginning

Example:
CO32- becomes HCO3-
"Carbonate" becomes either "Hydrogen Carbonate" or "Bicarbonate"
• When combining cations and anions into an ionic compound, you always put the cation name first and then
the anion name (the molecular formulas are also written in this order as well.)

• Examples:
• Na+ + Cl- --> NaCl
sodium + chloride --> sodium chloride
• Cu2+ + SO42- -->CuSO4
copper(II) + sulfate --> copper(II) sulfate
• Al3+ + 3NO3- --> Al(NO3)3
aluminum + nitrate --> aluminum nitrate
1. Geometric isomers refers to which side of the ion atoms lie. The
prefixes used to distinguish geometric isomers are cis meaning
substituents lie on the same side of the ion and trans meaning they lie
on opposite sides. Below is a diagram to help you remember.
2. Optical isomers differ in the arrangement of four groups around a
chiral carbon. These two isomers are differentiated as L and D.
3. Structural isomers differentiate between the placement of two
chlorine atoms around a hexagonal carbon ring. These three isomers
are identified as o, m, and p.Once again we have given you a few clues
to help your memory.

A pop-up nomenclature calculator is available for help when naming

compounds and for practice problems.
Naming Binary Molecular Compounds

Molecular compounds are formed from the covalent bonding between non-metallic elements. The
nomenclature for these compounds is described in the following set of rules.
• The more positive atom is written first (the atom which is the furthest to the left and to the
bottom of the periodic table)
• The more negative second atom has an "-ide" ending.
• Each prefix indicates the number of each atom present in the compound.
• Examples:
CO2 = carbon dioxide
P4S10 = tetraphosphorusdecasulfide
 Naming Inorganic Acids
• Binary acids (H plus a nonmetal element) are acids that dissociate into hydrogen atoms and anions in
water. Acids that only release one hydrogen atom are known as monoprotic. Those acids that release
more than one hydrogen atom are called polyproticacids. When naming these binary acids, you
merely add "hydro-" (denoting the presence of a hydrogen atom) to the beginning and "-ic acid" to
the end of the anion name.

Examples:
HCl = hydrochloric acid
HBr = hydrobromic acid 
• Ternary acids (also called oxoacids, are formed by hydrogen plus another element plus oxygen) are
based on the name of the anion. In this case, the -ate, and -ite suffixes for the anion are replaced
with -ic and -ous respectively. The new anion name is then followed by the word "acid." The chart
below depicts the changes in nomenclature.
• Example:
ClO4- to HClO4 => perchlorate to perchloric acid
ClO- to HClO => hypochlorite to hypochlorous acid
Naming Compounds
A detailed treatise on naming organic compounds is beyond
the scope of these materials, but some basics are presented.
The wise chemistry student should consider memorizing the
prefixes of the first ten organic compounds:
Number of Carbons Prefix
1 meth-
2 eth-
3 prop-
4 but-
5 pent-
6 hex-
7 hept-
8 oct-
9 non-
10 dec-
• There are four basic types of organic hydrocarbons, those chemicals
with only carbon and hydrogen:
• Single bonds (alkane): suffix is "ane", formula CnH2n+2
• Double bonds (alkene): suffix is "ene", formula CnH2n
• Triple bonds (alkyne): suffix is "yne", formula CnH2n-2
• Cyclic compounds: use prefix "cyclo"
• So, for example, an organic compound with the formula "C6H14" would
be recognized as an alkane with six carbons, so its name is "hexane".
•
Examples:
N2O4 = dinitrogen tetraoxide
S2F10 = disulfurdecafluoride