Naming Binary
Molecular
Compounds
Did you ever wonder…
…what the
chemicals in
some of your
household
supplies are?
This contains
Boron trifluoride
What is that?
What is a binary molecular compound?
• What is a molecular compound?
Molecular Compound –
Compound with COVALENT
bonds
What is a binary molecular compound?
• What does “binary” mean?
• What are other words that start with “bi-”?
Binary – having 2 elements
What patterns do you see in the formulas
and names?
Chemical Formula
CO
N4Cl6
NF3
C2H6
P2O3
Name of Molecule
carbon monoxide
tetranitrogen hexachloride
nitrogen trifluoride
dicarbon hexahydride
diphosphorus trioxide
Naming Covalent Compounds Rules
1) The first element keeps its name.
2) The second element ends in “ide.” (like ionic
names)
3) The prefix of each element shows how many
of each element are in the compound.
4) *If there is only one of the first element,
“mono-” is NOT used.
Prefixes Table
Prefix
Number of atom
mono
di
tri
tetra
1
2
3
4
penta
hexa
hepta
5
6
7
octa
nona
deca
8
9
10
Examples
Example 1) P2S3
diphosphorus trisulfide
Example 2) H2O
dihydrogen monoxide
Example 3) CO2
carbon dioxide
Group Practice
• Get into groups of 2-3.
• For the binary molecular compounds on the next slide,
write out either the name or the chemical formula on a
Post-It and stick it to the board when finished.
Group Practice
Chemical
Formula
N2O4
S2F10
Name
Trinitrogen
tetrafluoride
Iodine hexoxide
Independent Practice
• Fill out the Naming Molecules with Covalent Bonds
worksheet.