Nomenclature
Table of Contents
‘Nomenclature’
Binary Compounds - Metal (fixed oxidation) + Nonmetal
Criss-Cross Rule
Binary Compounds - Metal (variable oxidation) + Nonmetal
Binary Compounds - Nonmetal + Nonmetal
Ternary Compounds
Binary Hydrogen Compounds
Meaning of Suffixes
Empirical Formula
Subscripts, Superscripts, and Coefficients
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Polyatomic Ions
Contain
only
more
than
two
types
elements
of elements
We willwill
These
cover
nottwo
these
be types
covered
in aof
separate
unit
Four Types of Naming
• Binary compounds
•
• Ternary compounds
•
• Coordination compounds
• Organic compounds
Binary Compounds
Metals (fixed oxidation) + Nonmetals
Examples:
Binary Compounds
Binary compounds that contain a metal of fixed oxidation number
(group 1, group 2, Al, Zn, Ag, etc.), and a non-metal.
To name these compounds, give the name of metal followed by the
name of the non-metal, with the ending replaced by the suffix –ide.
NaCl
sodium chloride
(Na1+ Cl1-)
CaS
calcium sulfide
(Ca2+
S2-)
AlI3
aluminum iodide
(Al3+
I1-)
Cations and Anions
Common Simple Cations and Anions
Cation
H 1+
Li 1+
Na 1+
K 1+
Cs 1+
Be 2+
Mg 2+
Al 3+
Ag 1+
Name
hydrogen
lithium
sodium
potassium
cesium
beryllium
magnesium
aluminum
silver
Anion
H 1F 1Cl 1Br 1I 1- iodide
O 2S 2-
Name*
hydride
fluoride
chloride
bromide
oxide
sulfide
*The root is given in color.
Zumdahl, Zumdahl, DeCoste, World of Chemistry 2002, page 86
Criss-Cross Rule
Criss-Cross Rule
Example: Aluminum Chloride
Step 1:
Aluminum
Chloride
Step 2:
Al3+
Cl1-
Step 3:
Al 1
Cl 3
Step 4:
AlCl 3
Criss-Cross Rule
Example: Aluminum Oxide
Step 1:
Aluminum
Oxide
Step 2:
Al3+
O2-
Step 3:
Al 2
O3
Step 4:
Al2O3
Criss-Cross Rule
Example: Magnesium Oxide
Step 1:
Magnesium
Step 2:
Mg2+
O2-
Step 3:
Mg 2
O2
Step 4:
Step 5:
Mg2O2
MgO
Oxide
Naming Binary Compounds
Formula
1
BaO
2
NaBr
3 ________________
4
5
MgI2
6
7
KCl
8
9 ________________
SrF2
10
11 ________________
CsF
Name
barium oxide
____________________
sodium bromide
____________________
magnesium iodide
____________________
potassium chloride
strontium fluoride
cesium fluoride
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Binary Compounds
Metals (variable oxidation) + Nonmetals
Binary Compounds
Containing a Metal of Variable Oxidation Number
To name these compounds, give the name of the metal (Type II
cations) followed by Roman numerals in parentheses to indicate
the oxidation number of the metal, followed by the name of the
nonmetal, with its ending replaced by the suffix –ide.
Examples
Stock System
Traditional System
FeCl3
Iron (III) chloride
Ferric chloride
FeCl2
Iron (II) chloride
Ferrous chloride
SnO
SnO2
Tin (II) oxide
Tin (IV) oxide
(“ic” ending = higher oxidation state;
Stannous oxide
Stannic oxide
“ous” is lower oxidation state)
Type II Cations
Common Type II Cations
Ion
Stock System
Fe 3+
Fe 2+
Cu 2+
Cu 1+
Co 3+
Co 2+
Sn 4+
Sn 2+
Pb 4+
Pb 2+
Hg 2+
Hg2 2+
iron (III)
iron (II)
copper (II)
copper (I)
cobalt (III)
cobalt (II)
tin (IV)
tin (II)
lead (IV)
lead (II)
mercury (II)
mercury (I)
Traditional System
ferric
ferrous
cupric
cuprous
cobaltic
cobaltous
stannic
stannous
plumbic
plumbous
mercuric
mercurous
*Mercury (I) ions are always bound together in pairs to form Hg2 2+
Zumdahl, Zumdahl, DeCoste, World of Chemistry 2002, page 90
PbO2
Naming Binary Compounds
Formula
1
Hg2O
2
3
HgO
4
CuF2
5 ________________
6
7 ________________
Cu2S
8
9
Cr2O3
10
11 ________________
Name
____________________
mercury (II) oxide
____________________
mercury (I) oxide
copper (II) fluoride
copper (I) sulfide
chromium (III) oxide
____________________
lead (IV) oxide
Binary Compounds
Nonmetal + Nonmetal
Prefixes you should know:
Binary Compounds
Containing Two Nonmetals
To name these compounds, give the name of the less electronegative
element first with the Greek prefix indicating the number of atoms of that
element present, followed by the name of the more electronegative nonmetal with the Greek prefix indicating the number of atoms of that element
present and with its ending replaced by the suffix –ide.
Mono
1
Di
2
Tri
3
Tetra
4
Penta
5
Hexa
6
Hepta
7
Octa
8
Nona
9
Deca
10
Binary Compounds
Containing Two Nonmetals (Type III Compounds)
As2S3
1. ________________
2.
SO2
3. ________________
4.
5.
P2O5
6.
CO2
7. ________________
8.
9.
N2O5
10.
11.
H2O
diarsenic trisulfide
sulfur dioxide
diphosphorus pentoxide
____________________
carbon dioxide
dinitrogen pentoxide
____________________
dihydrogen monoxide
____________________
Naming Binary Compounds
Binary Compound?
Yes
Metal Present?
No
Type III
Use Greek
Prefixes
Yes
Does the metal form
more than one cation?
No
Type I
Use the element
name for the cation.
Zumdahl, Zumdahl, DeCoste, World of Chemistry 2002, page 98
Yes
Type II
Determine the charge
of the cation; use a Roman
numeral after the cation
name.
Ternary Compounds
Ternary Compounds
Ternary compounds are those containing three different elements.
(NaNO3, NH4Cl, etc.). The naming of ternary compounds involves the
memorization of several positive and negative polyatomic ions, (two or
more atoms per ion), and adding these names to the element with which
they combine.
i.e., Sodium ion, Na1+ added to the nitrate ion, NO31-,
to give the compound, NaNO3, sodium nitrate.
Binary rules for indicating the oxidation number of metals and for indicating
the numbers of atoms present are followed. The polyatomic ions that should
be learned are listed in a separate handout.
Ternary Compounds
NaNO2
KClO3
Ca3(PO4)2
Fe(OH)3
NaHCO3
sodium nitrite
potassium chlorate
calcium phosphate
iron (III) hydroxide
sodium bicarbonate
‘sodium hydrogen carbonate’
Common Polyatomic Ions
Names of Common Polyatomic Ions
Ion
NH4 1+
NO2 1NO3 1SO3 2SO4 2HSO4 1OH 1CN 1PO4 3HPO4 2H2PO4 1-
Name
ammonium
nitrite
nitrate
sulfite
sulfate
hydrogen sulfate
(“bisulfate” is a widely
used common name)
hydroxide
cyanide
phosphate
hydrogen phosphate
dihydrogen phosphate
Zumdahl, Zumdahl, DeCoste, World of Chemistry 2002, page 100
Ion
CO3 2HCO3 1ClO 1ClO2 1ClO3 1ClO4 1C2H3O2 2MnO4 1Cr2O7 2CrO4 2O2 2-
Name
carbonate
hydrogen carbonate
(“bicarbonate” is a widely
used common name)
hypochlorite
chlorite
chlorate
perchlorate
acetate
permanganate
dichromate
chromate
peroxide
Ternary Compounds
Ca3(PO4) 2
1. ________________
2.
(NH4)2CO3
3. ________________
4.
Al2(SO4)3
5. ________________
6.
7.
Na2SO4
8.
LiCN
9.
10.
Ba(ClO3)2
11.
12. ________________
Cu(OH)2
calcium phosphate
ammonium carbonate
aluminum sulfate
sodium sulfate
____________________
lithium cyanide
____________________
____________________
barium chlorate
copper (II) hydroxide
Magnesium Phosphate
Step 1:
Magnesium
Step 2:
Mg2+
PO43-
Step 3:
Mg 3
(PO4) 2
Step 4:
Phosphate
Mg3(PO4)2
Naming Chemical Compounds
Binary Compound?
No
Polyatomic ions
present?
No
This is a compound
for which naming
procedures have not yet
been considered.
Zumdahl, Zumdahl, DeCoste, World of Chemistry 2002, page 102
Yes
Use the strategy
summarized
earlier
Yes
Name the compound
using procedures similar
to those for naming
binary ionic compounds.
Binary Hydrogen Compounds
Oxysalts + H2O  Oxyacids
Binary Hydrogen Compounds
of Nonmetals When Dissolved in Water
(These compounds are commonly called acids.)
The prefix hydro- is used to represent hydrogen, followed by the name
of the nonmetal with its ending replaced by the suffix –ic and the word
Acid added.
Examples:
*HCl
HBr
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrobromic acid
*The name of this compound would be hydrogen chloride if it was NOT dissolved in water.
Naming Simple Chemical Compounds
Ionic (metal and nonmetal)
Metal
Forms
only one
positive
ion
Use the
name of
element
Forms
more than
one positive
ion
Use element
name followed
by a Roman
numeral to
show the charge
Covalent (2 nonmetals)
Nonmetal
Single
Negative
Ion
Use the name
of the
element, but
end with ide
First
nonmetal
Second
nonmetal
Before
element name
use a prefix
to match
subscript
Use a prefix
before
element name
and end
with ide
Polyatomic
Ion
Use the
name of
polyatomic
ion (ate or
Ite)
Naming Ternary Compounds
from Oxyacids
The following table lists the most common families of oxy acids.
one more
oxygen atom
HClO4
perchloric acid
most
“common”
HClO3
chloric acid
H2SO4
sulfuric acid
H3PO4
phosphoric acid
HNO3
nitric acid
one less
oxygen
HClO2
chlorous acid
H2SO3
sulfurous acid
H3PO3
phosphorous acid
HNO2
nitrous acid
two less
oxygen
HClO
hypochlorous acid
H3PO2
hypophosphorous acid
(HNO)2
Hyponitrous acid
Oxyacids  Oxysalts
If you replace hydrogen with a metal, you have formed an oxysalt.
A salt is a compound consisting of a metal and a non-metal. If the
salt consists of a metal, a nonmetal, and oxygen it is called an
oxysalt. NaClO4, sodium perchlorate, is an oxysalt.
OXYACID
OXYSALT
HClO4
perchloric acid
NaClO4
sodium perchlorate
HClO3
chloric acid
NaClO3
Sodium chlorate
HClO2
chlorous acid
NaClO2
Sodium chlorite
HClO
hypochlorous acid
NaClO
Sodium hypochlorite
ACID
SALT
per stem ic
changes to
per stem ate
stem ic
changes to
stem ate
stem ous
changes to
stem ite
hyper stem ous
changes to
hypo stem ite
HClO3
acid
+
Na1+
cation
NaClO3 + H1+
salt
Suffixes have meaning
“-ide”
binary compound
sodium chloride (NaCl)
“-ite” or “-ate”
sulfite (SO32-)
sulfate (SO42-)
“-ol”
polyatomic compound
“-ate” means one more oxygen
than “-ite”
alcohol
methyl alcohol (methanol)
“-ose”
sugar
sucrose
“-ase”
sucrase

enzyme
Prefixes – Binary
Molecular
Compounds
Greek Prefixes
for
Two
Nonmetals
Number Indicated
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Prefixes
mono
di
tri
tetra
penta
hexa
hepta
octa
nona
deca
Binary Molecular Compounds
N2O
N2O3
N2O5
ICl
ICl3
SO2
SO3
dinitrogen monoxide
dinitrogen trioxide
dinitrogen pentoxide
iodine monochloride
iodine trichloride
sulfur dioxide
sulfur trioxide
Oxidation States in Formulas and Names
Traditional System
Stock System
+1
dinitrogen monoxide
dinitrogen trioxide
dinitrogen pentoxide
sulfur dioxide
sulfur trioxide
-2
N2O
N
+3 2O
-2 3
N2O5
SO
+5
-2
2
SO3
+4
-2
+6
-2
nitrogen (I) oxide
nitrogen (III) oxide
nitrogen (V) oxide
sulfur (IV) oxide
sulfur (VI) oxide
Subscripts, Superscripts
and Coefficients
Chemical Formulas
C8H18
Subscript indicates that
there are 8 carbon atoms
in a molecule of octane.
Davis, Metcalfe, Williams, Castka, Modern Chemistry, 1999, page 203
Subscript indicates that
there are 18 hydrogen atoms
In a molecule of octane.
Stock System of
Nomenclature
CuCl2
Name of
cation
+
Roman
Name of anion
numeral
indicating
charge
copper (II)
chloride
Chemical Formulas
Al2(SO4)3
Subscript 2
Subscript 4
Subscript 3 refers to
refers to
refers to
everything inside parentheses.
2 aluminum
atoms.
4 oxygen
Here there are 3 sulfate ions,
atoms in
sulfate ion.
with a total of 3 sulfur atoms
and 12 oxygen atoms.
Davis, Metcalfe, Williams, Castka, Modern Chemistry, 1999, page 204
The Stock System
of Nomenclature
CuCl2
Name of
cation
+
Roman
numeral
indicating
charge
Copper (II)
Davis, Metcalfe, Williams, Castka, Modern Chemistry, 1999, page 208
Name of anion
chloride
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Chromium (III) Chloride
RECALL: Chromium forms oxides in which metal exhibits oxidation
states of +3 and +2. STOCK system indicates oxidation
state of compound. Assume Cr3+ (chromium (III) chloride).
Step 1:
Chromium (III)
Step 2:
Cr3+
Cl1-
Step 3:
Cr 1
Cl 3
Step 4:
Chloride
CrCl3
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Cupric Sulfate
RECALL: “ic” higher oxidation &
Cu2+ (higher)
“ous” lower oxidation
Cu1+ (lower)
Step 1:
Cupric
Sulfate
Step 2:
Cu2+
SO42-
Step 3:
Cu
Step 4:
Step 5:
2
(SO4) 2
Cu2(SO4)2
CuSO4
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Manganese (III) Sulfate
RECALL: Manganese forms oxides in which metal exhibits oxidation
states of +2, +3, +4, and +7. STOCK system indicates oxidation
state of compound. Assume Mn3+ (manganese (III) sulfate).
Step 1:
Manganese (III)
Sulfate
Step 2:
Mn3+
SO42-
Step 3:
Mn 2
(SO4) 3
Step 4:
Mn2(SO4)3
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Stannous Chloride
RECALL: “ic” higher oxidation &
Sn4+ (higher)
Step 1:
“ous” lower oxidation
Sn2+ (lower)
Stannous (tin)
Chloride
Step 2:
Sn2+
Cl1-
Step 3:
Sn 1
Cl 2
Step 4:
SnCl2
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Stannic Chloride
RECALL: “ic” higher oxidation &
Sn4+ (higher)
“ous” lower oxidation
Sn2+ (lower)
Step 1:
Stannic (tin)
Chloride
Step 2:
Sn4+
Cl1-
Step 3:
Sn 1
Cl 4
Step 4:
SnCl4
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Chromium Chloride
RECALL: Chromium has multiple oxidation states.
Name with STOCK system.
Assume Chromiun (II).
Step 1:
Chromium (II)
Step 2:
Cr2+
Cl1-
Step 3:
Cr 1
Cl 2
Step 4:
Cr1Cl2
Step 5:
CrCl2
Chloride
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Calcium Phosphate
Step 1:
Calcium
Phosphate
Step 2:
Ca2+
PO43-
Step 3:
Ca
Step 4:
3
(PO4) 2
Ca3(PO4)2
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Zinc Oxide
Step 1:
Zinc
Oxide
Step 2:
Zn2+
O2-
Step 3:
Zn
O2
Step 4:
Step 5:
2
Zn2O2
ZnO
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Polyatomic Ions
Common Polyatomic Ions