Chem 317 (for Chem 305)
Name _________________________
Exercise #__05___
INORGANIC NOMENCLATURE - NAMING INORGANIC COMPOUNDS
Every compound has its own CHEMICAL FORMULA and its own NAME. The nomenclature
(naming systems) for IONIC and COVALENT compounds are different. This workshop will
focus on ionic compounds
IONIC COMPOUNDS:
These consist of any positive ion (except H+) combined with any negative ion. (If H+ is the
positive ion, the compound is an acid, as we will see -later on page 6.)
♦ The positive ion (cation) may be a metal ion (such as Na+) or a polyatomic ion
(such as NH4+).
♦ The negative ion (anion) may be a non-metal ion (such as Cl-) or a polyatomic ion
(such as SO42- or N03-).
Case 1. Ionic compounds: Representative Metal + Non-Metal
Examples: KBr potassium bromide
AlCl3 aluminum chloride
Li3N lithium nitride ;
Note 1: Metal is always first (name unchanged), non-metal second (the ending of the non-metal is
dropped, and the -IDE ending is added).
Note 2: The name does not indicate how many of each.
Exercise: Write formulas for the following cations:
barium ion ________aluminum ion _________ potassium ion ________ radium ion ______
Exercise: Write formulas for the following anions:
Bromide ________ nitride _______ iodide ________ oxide _______ sulfide ______
Exercise: Name the following:
Na F _______________________________ Mg S ______________________________
SrI2 ________________________________ CaCl2 ______________________________
K2O _______________________________ SrI2 _______________________________
Ba3N2 ______________________________ Li3P _______________________________
Exercise: Give formulas for the following compounds (refer to periodic table only).
cesium phosphide _________ calcium iodide __________ barium fluoride _________
magnesium nitride _________ aluminum bromide ________ sodium sulfide __________
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Chem 317 (for Chem 305)
Name _________________________
Case 2. Ionic Compounds: Transition Metal + Non-Metal
In general, it is NOT possible to use the periodic table to predict what ions are formed by
transition metals. You have to LEARN the formulas for the ions of those transition elements
that were assigned in lecture.
♦ If the transition metal forms only one ion, name the compound as in case 1.
Examples: ZnCl2 zinc chloride; Ag2S silver sulfide; NiF2 nickel fluoride;
♦ If the transition metal forms two ions, the naming system is as follows:
Old system:
-ous ending refers to the ion with lower charge.
-ic ending refers to the ion with higher charge.
Fe2+ ferrous
Fe3+ ferric
Crz+ chromous
Cr3+ chromic
Cu+ cuprous
Cu2+ cupric
Hg22+ mercurous
Hg2+ mercuric
Sn2+ stannous
Sn4+ stannic
Pb2+ plumbous
Pb4+ plumbic
Modern (Stock) system : A Roman numeral after the metal name indicates the charge on the
metal ion.
Examples:
Fe3+ is iron (III)
Sn4+ is tin (IV)
Cu+ is copper (I)
♦ Note: The charge on a transition metal ion can be determined from its compound.
Examples: In FeF2 there are 2 F- so it's Fe2+
Name: ferrous fluoride or iron(II) fluoride
In Fe2O3 there are 3 O2- so here the ion is Fe+3
Name: ferric oxide or iron (III) oxide
♦ Note: You must be able to give the modern (Stock) name and the old name for each
compound.
Exercise: Name the following compounds (Give two names if applicable. If there is no second
name write NA on the second line.):
Cu3N _______________________________ OR ________________________________
SnCl4 ______________________________ OR ________________________________
FeBr3 ______________________________ OR ________________________________
Hg2S _______________________________ OR ________________________________
Exercise: Give formulas for the following compounds:
chromium (III) oxide _______ stannous fluoride ___________ ferrous iodide _________
zinc nitride ___________ cupric bromide
________________
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cobalt (II) oxide __________
Chem 317 (for Chem 305)
Name _________________________
Case 3. Ionic Compounds with Polyatomic Ions.
Cases 1 and 2 above involve ionic compounds that consist of a metal cation and a non-metal
anion---two elements only. These are called binary compounds.
Now let us turn to ionic compounds that are formed from polyatomic ions:
You must learn the names and formulas for all the polyatomic ions assigned in lecture.
♦ As with all ionic compounds, the cation is named first, then the anion:
Examples:
(NH4)2S ammonium sulfide
K3PO4 potassium phosphate
Zn(NO3)2 zinc nitrate
Fe2(SO4)3 ferric sulfate or iron (III) sulfate
CuCO3 cupric carbonate or copper (Il) carbonate
♦ Note: Parentheses ( ) are used only when there are 2 or more polyatomic ions.
Exercise: Name the following:
(NH4)2O _________________________ Na2SO3 _______________________________
FeCr2O7 ____________________________ OR ________________________________
CuNO2 _____________________________ OR ________________________________
Zn3(PO4)2 ________________________ Ca(ClO3)2 _____________________________
Sn(C2H3O2)2 ________________________ OR ________________________________
Exercise: Give formulas for the following:
cupric nitrate ________________________ lithium phosphate ____________________
silver carbonate ______________________ ferric nitrite _________________________
barium permanganate _________________ mercuric cyanide ____________________
nickel (II) hydroxide __________________ magnesium bicarbonate _______________
potassium chromate ___________________ aluminum hydrogen sulfate ____________
Case 4. Diatomic Molecules
Several common non-metal elements exist as diatomic molecules. The name of the element
refers to the diatomic molecule. For example, "hydrogen" refers to H2 and "oxygen" refers to
O2. (If we mean the atom, we say atomic hydrogen or atomic oxygen). The common diatomic
elements are the four halogens, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen.
Exercise: List the names and formulas of the 7 elements that exist as diatomic molecules:
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Chem 317 (for Chem 305)
Name _________________________
Case 5. ACIDS
As a group, ACIDS are a separate category from ionic compounds and covalent compounds.
Acids consist of hydrogen ion, H', and a anion. The naming system for acids is different from
that of other ionic or covalent compounds. We will not consider those systems at this time.
Some acids, called strong acids, are ionic. These acids are used in industry and in the laboratory.
You must learn the names and formulas of the three common strong acids:
HCl
H2SO4
HNO3
hydrochloric acid
sulfuric acid
nitric acid
Other acids, called weak acids, are partly ionic and partly covalent. All the acids found in food
are weak acids. Learn the names and formulas of these common weak acids:
HC2H3O 2
H3PO4
H2CO3
H2 C 2 O4
acetic acid (aka CH3COOH)
phosphoric acid
carbonic acid
oxalic acid
Exercise: Write formulas for the underlined acids in the following sentences:
In industry, hydrochloric acid is known as muriatic acid and is used in concrete work. Since
sulfuric acid is used in automobile batteries, it is commonly called battery acid.
Nitric acid is probably the most common oxidizing agent used in laboratories.
Acetic acid is the acid in vinegar.
Phosphoric acid and carbonic acid are added to soft drinks to provide a tart taste.
Oxalic acid is found in many plants, including rhubarb and spinach. A high
concentration of this acid is toxic.
In industry, _________ is known as muriatic acid and is used in concrete work.
Since __________ is used in automobile batteries, it is commonly called battery acid.
_________is probably the most common oxidizing agent used in laboratories.
__________ is the acid in vinegar.
__________ and __________ are added to soft drinks to provide a tart taste.
__________ is found in many plants, including rhubarb and spinach. A high concentration of this
acid is toxic.
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Chem 317 (for Chem 305)
Name _________________________
Exercises for Further Practice
Name the following:
Na2SO4 ______________________________________________________________________
Br2 _________________________________________________________________________
BaCO3 ______________________________________________________________________
Fe(NO3)2 _____________________________ OR __________________________________
PbO2 _________________________________ OR __________________________________
Zn(CN)2 _____________________________________________________________________
AgClO ______________________________________________________________________
Mg(HSO4)2 ____________________________ OR __________________________________
NH4MnO4 ____________________________________________________________________
HNO3 _______________________________________________________________________
CuCrO4 _______________________________ OR __________________________________
PbCr2O7 _______________________________ OR __________________________________
Li2SO3 _______________________________________________________________________
Sr(H2PO4)2 ___________________________________________________________________
FeBr3 _________________________________ OR ___________________________________
HgCl2 ________________________________ OR __________________________________
O2 __________________________________________________________________________
Cu2S2O3 ______________________________ OR __________________________________
KNO2 _______________________________________________________________________
Sn(ClO3)2 _____________________________ OR __________________________________
Na2CO3 ______________________________________________________________________
Ca(HCO3)2 ____________________________ OR __________________________________
HCl(aq) _______________________________________________________________________
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Chem 317 (for Chem 305)
Name _________________________
Give Formulas for the Following:
zinc phosphate ______________________
stannous nitride ________________________
ammonium nitrite ____________________
cupric hydrogen phosphate _______________
lithium sulfite _______________________
silver dichromate ______________________
nickel (II) chlorate ___________________
sulfuric acid __________________________
ferric chromate ______________________
chromium (III) bromide _________________
strontium nitrate _____________________
Iodine _______________________________
calcium carbonate ____________________
iron (II) hydroxide _____________________
cupric phosphide _____________________
ammonium thiosulfate ___________________
plumbic acetate ______________________
lead (IV) sulfide _______________________
titanium (IV) chloride _________________
mercury (I) bromide ____________________
aluminum dihydrogen phosphate ___________
chromium (II) oxide ____________________
strontium sulfate _____________________
cobalt (II) bromide _____________________
phosphoric acid ______________________
magnesium perchlorate __________________
calcium iodide ______________________
Nitrogen _____________________________
sodium hypochlorite __________________
ammonium chloride ____________________
ferric cyanide _______________________
magnesium peroxide ____________________
potassium permanganate ______________
beryllium chlorite ______________________
rubidium sulfide _____________________
ferrous hydrogen sulfate _________________
plumbous bicarbonate _________________
carbonic acid __________________________
potassium sulfate ____________________
potassium dichromate ___________________
calcium oxide _______________________
copper (I) hydroxide ____________________
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