Naming of Compounds

General
General Chemistry
Chemistry1 1/2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
 Naming Ionic Compounds

Element Stem Name Charge Traditional Stock

State Naming Naming

chromium chrom- +2 chromous chromium (II)

+3 chromic chromium (III)

cobalt cobalt- +2 cobaltous cobalt (II)

+3 cobaltic cobalt (III)

copper cupr- +1 cuprous copper (I)

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 Naming Ionic Compounds

Element Stem Charge Traditional Stock

Name State Naming Naming

gold aur- +1 aurous gold (I)

+3 auric gold (III)

iron ferr- +2 ferrous iron (II)

+3 ferric iron (III)

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 Naming Ionic Compounds

Element Stem Charge Traditional Stock

Name State Naming Naming

mercury mercur- +1 mercurous mercury (I)

+2 mercuric mercury (II)

nickel nickel- +2 nickelous nickel (II)

+3 nickelic nickel (III)

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Naming of Compounds:
Rules:
Binary compounds – made up of two elements.
a. Ionic compounds – made up of a cation and an anion. They
are named by giving the name of the cation first, followed by
the name of the anion.
Ex.
a. NaI
b. MgCl2
c. FeS
d. K2O
b. Molecular compounds – made up of two non-metals. They are
named by giving the name of the first nonmetal and then that of
the second nonmetal modified by the ending ide. Molecular
compounds are usually gases.
Ex.
a. HCl
b. CO2
c. SO3
 c. Ternary compounds – made up of three elements.
● The naming of ternary compounds follows the same rule as
that of the binary ionic compound: the name of the cation is
given first, followed by the name of the anion.
Ex.
a. NaNO3
b. BaCrO4
c. K2SO4
/
Acids – yield hydrogen ions in aqueous solutions.
a. Binary acids – composed of hydrogen and another element,
usually a nonmetal. The first part of the name starts with the
prefix hydro- followed by the name of the element, modified by
the ending –ic. The second part consists of the word ‘acid’.
● Name = hydro- (root name of element) -ic + acid
Ex. HCl
HI
 b. Ternary acids – made up of hydrogen and an anion, usually
containing oxygen.
The first part of the name consists of the root word of the name of the
element, modified by the ending –ic. The second part consists of the
word ‘acid’. If there is another acid with the same atoms, the suffix –
ous is used to denote the one with less number of atoms.
● Name = (root name of element) -ic (or –ous) + acid
Ex.
a. HNO3 b. HNO2
c. H2SO4 d. H2SO3
e. H3PO4 f. H3PO3
Formula Writing

● In writing the formula, the total positive charges of the

cations should be equal to the total of the negative charges
of the anion. The net charge should be zero.
Tips

You can use the criss-cross method

in writing the chemical formula of
ionic compounds.

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Tips

To use this method, take the

absolute value of the cation’s
charge and use it as the subscript of
the anion in the chemical formula.

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Tips

Then, take the absolute value of the

anion’s charge and use it as the
subscript of the cation in the
chemical formula. Finally, reduce
the subscripts to their simplest
ratio.

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 Formation of Ionic Compounds

When Ca2+ and NO3-

combine together,
the criss-cross
method tells us that
the resulting ionic
compound should
have one calcium ion
and two nitrate ion.
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 Writing Formulas of Ionic Compounds

Group Charge Group Charge

1A +1 5A -3

2A +2 6A -2

3A +3 7A -1

4A Ge rarely form
*C, Si, and * cations,8A
while Sn and**Pb can
form multiple ions.
**Noble gases do not form ions. 15
 Writing Formulas of Ionic Compounds

Metal Charge States Metal Charge States

Cd +2 Au +1, +3

Cr +2, +3 Fe +2, +3

Co +2, +3 Mn +2

Cu +1, +2 Hg +1, +2

Ni +2, +3 Pt +2, +4
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 Let’s Practice!

Write the chemical formula of the following :

Potassium sulfide

cobalt (III) fluoride

Stannous chloride

Stronium oxide

Chromium (III) nitrate 17

 Let’s Practice!

Write the chemical formula of the following :

phosphorus tribromide

tetraphosphorus nonasulfide

Dinitrogen oxide

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