! NOMENCLATURE!IONIC-COVALENT!COMPOUNDS! ! ! !
Created!by:!Julio!Cesar!Torres!Orozco!
!
!!! ! ! !
!
Background:! Before! there! was! an! established! naming! (nomenclature)! system! for! chemical!
compounds,!chemists!assigned!compounds!a!specific!name!for!reference.!Table!salt!(NaCl),!water!
(H
2
O)!and!ammonia!(NH
3
)!are!some!of!the!most!common!examples!of!this.!
There!are!two!types!of!chemical!compounds!that!are!important!in!general!chemistry:!Ionic&
and&Covalent&compounds.!This!handout!will!aim!to!explain!the!nomenclature!system!there!exists!
for!these!types!of!compounds.!
!
Ionic!compou nd s:!!METAL!+!NON;METAL!
RULES:!
! Name!of!ionic!compounds!is!composed!of!the!name!of!the! positive&ion!(from!the!metal)!and!
the!name!of!the!negative!ion.!
Examples:!! ! ! NaBr! ! Sodium!bromide! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! MgCl
2! !
Magnesium!chloride!
! ! ! ! (NH
4
)
2
SO
4
!!!!!!Ammonium!sulfate!
! It! is! important! that! we! learn! how! to! name! monoatomic& positive& ions.! These! are! some!
examples:!
!
Na
+
sodium
Zn
2+
zinc
Ca
2+
calcium
H
+
hydrogen
K
+
potassium
Sr
2+
strontium
!
! When!there!are!positive!ions!that!have!more!than!one!oxidation!state!(number),!as!in!the!
case!of!transition&metals,!we!would!have!to!indicate!the!charge!of!the!ion!in!Roman!numeral!
in!parentheses!(I,II,III,IV,V,VI,VI)!after!the!name!of!the!specific!element.!
Examples:!! !
!
!
!
!
Fe
2+
Fe
3+
Sn
2+
Sn
4+
Cu
+
Cu
2+
! NOMENCLATURE!IONIC-COVALENT!COMPOUNDS! ! ! !
Created!by:!Julio!Cesar!Torres!Orozco!
!
!!! ! ! !
!
!
! Positive!polyatomic!ions!have!common!names!ending!in!suffix!;onium!
Examples:!!
H
3
O
+
Hydronium
NH
4
+
Ammonium
!
Now!that!we!have!covered!positive!monoatomic!and!polyatomic!ions,!let!us!look!at!the!naming!of!
negative!ions.!
RULES:!!
!
! Monoatomic!negative!ions!are!named!simply!by!adding!suffix!–ide&to!the!stem!of!the!
element!name!
Examples:!
!
!
!
!
! This!is!the!list!of!the!most!common!polyatomic!negative!ions:!
-1 ions
HCO
3
-
bicarbonate
HSO
4
-
hydrogen sulfate
(bisulfate)
CH
3
CO
2
-
acetate
ClO
4
-
perchlorate
NO
3
-
nitrate
ClO
3
-
chlorate
NO
2
-
nitrite
ClO
2
-
chlorite
MnO
4
-
permanganate
ClO
-
hypochlorite
CN
-
cyanide
OH
-
hydroxide
-2 ions
CO
3
2-
carbonate
O
2
2-
peroxide
SO
4
2-
sulfate
CrO
4
2-
chromate
SO
3
2-
sulfite
Cr
2
O
7
2-
dichromate
S
2
O
3
2-
thiosulfate
HPO
4
2-
hydrogen phosphate
-3 ions
PO
4
3-
phosphate
AsO
4
3-
arsenate
BO
3
3-
borate
F
-
fluoride
O
2-
oxide
Cl
-
chloride
S
2-
sulfide
Br
-
bromide
N
3-
nitride
I
-
iodide
P
3-
phosphide
H
-
hydride
C
4-
carbide
! NOMENCLATURE!IONIC-COVALENT!COMPOUNDS! ! ! !
Created!by:!Julio!Cesar!Torres!Orozco!
!
!!! ! ! !
!
!
! The!name!of!polyatomic!ions!ends!in!either!–ite!or!–ate.!If!–ite!is!seen,!it!means!a!low!
oxidation!state!(also!a!lower!number!of!oxygen!atoms!present!–!example!Nitrite!as!NO
2
Q
!,!in!
this!case!Nitrogen!has!an!oxidation!number!of!+3)!
! If!–ate!is!seen,!it!means!a!higher!oxidation!state!(higher!amount!of!oxygen!atoms!present!–!
example!Nitrate!as!NO
3
Q!
In!this!case!Nitrogen!has!an!oxidation!number!of!+5)!
! Prefix!hypo4!indicates!lowest!oxidation!state.!BrOQ!ion!is!called!hypobromite!ion.!
! Prefix!per4!indicates!highest!oxidation!state.!IO
4
Q
!ion!is!called!periodate!ion!
! Some!ions!such!as!hydroxide!(OHQ),!cyanide!(CNQ)!and!peroxide!(O
2
2Q
)!ions!are!exception!to!
the!aforementioned!rule.!
!
!
Covalent!compounds:!!NON;METAL!+!NON;METAL!
RULES:!
! When!naming!covalent!compounds,!oxidation!states!play!a!key!role.!The!name!of!the!atom!
that! has! the! positive! oxidation! state! is! named! first.! Then,! the! suffix! –ide! is! added! to! the!
stem!of!the!name!of!the!atom!with!the!negative!oxidation!stateQnumber.!
Examples:!
HI
hydrogen iodide
NO
nitrogen oxide
BrFl
bromine flouride
!
! In!simple!covalent!compounds,!the!amount!of!atoms!of!an!element!is!indicated!by!Greek!
prefixes!added!to!the!name!of!the!element:!
1 mono-
6 hexa-
2 di-
7 hepta-
3 tri-
8 octa-
4 tetra-
9 nona-
5 penta-
10 deca-
! The!prefix!monoQ!is!usually!not!necessary!because!of!its!redundancy.!An!exception!to!this!
would!be!carbon!monoxide!(CO)!
! Do!not!use!mono4!for!the!first!element!in!the!name.!
! NOMENCLATURE!IONIC-COVALENT!COMPOUNDS! ! ! !
Created!by:!Julio!Cesar!Torres!Orozco!
!
!!! ! ! !
!
!
! The!o!or!a!at!the!end!of!the!Greek!preQfix!is!usually!dropped!when!the!element!name!begins!
with!a!vowel.!Example:!N
2
O
5
.!Dinitrogen!Pentaoxide!is!not!correct.!The!correct!name!is!
Dinitrogen!pentoxide!after!dropping!the5a!from!penta4!
!
1. PRACTICE!PROBLEM:!"#$%&!%'&!()#*+,-!()#!%'&!(),,).$/0!$)/$1!1)*2)+/345!
!
sodium!bicarbonate!____________________!!
sodium!fluoride!_________________________!
iron!(III)!chloride!_______________________!!
sodium!carbonate!_______________________!
copper!(II)!sulfate!_______________________!
magnesium!hydroxide!__________________!!
barium!nitrate!___________________________!
lithium!sulfate!___________________________!
!
!
magnesium!chloride!___________________!!
silver!nitrate!____________________________!!
aluminum!sulfate!_______________________!!
calcium!hydroxide!______________________!
calcium!sulfate!__________________________!
mercury!(II)!nitrate!_____________________!!
lead!(IV)!nitrate!_________________________!
magnesium!iodide!______________________!!
sodium!nitride!__________________________!
!
ANSWER5KEY:5
sodium!bicarbonate!N aHC O
3
!
!sodium!fluoride!NaF!!
iron!(III)!ch lo rid e !Fe C l
3
!!
sodium!carbonate!N a
2
CO
3!
!
copper!(II)!sulfate!CuSO
4
!
magnesium!hydroxide!Mg(OH)
2
!!
barium!nitrate!Ba(NO
3
)
2!
!
lithium!su lfat e!Li
2
SO
4!
!
!
magnesium!chloride!MgCl
2
!!
silver!nitrate!AgNO
3
!!
aluminum!sulfate!Al
2
(SO
4
)
3
!!
calcium!hydroxide!Ca(OH)
2
!!
calcium!sulfate!CaSO
4
!!
mercury!(II)!nitrate!Hg(NO
3
)
2
!!
lead!(IV)!nitr at e!P b( N O
3
)
4
!!
! NOMENCLATURE!IONIC-COVALENT!COMPOUNDS! ! ! !
Created!by:!Julio!Cesar!Torres!Orozco!
!
!!! ! ! !
magnesium!iodide!MgI
2
!! sodium!nitride!Na
3
N!
!
2. PRACTICE!PROBLEM:!Write!the!names!of!the!following!ionic!compounds!
!
NaCl!__________________________________________!!
Fe
2
(CO
3
)
3
!___________________________________!
Cu(OH)
2
!______________________________________!
(NH
4
)
2
SO
4
!___________________________________!
!LiNO
3
!________________________________________!
!BaSO
4
!________________________________________!
Mg(NO
3
)
2
!____________________________________!
!
AgCl!______________________________________________!!
Al(OH)
3!
__________________________________________!!
CaSO
4
!____________________________________________!!
FeS!_______________________________________________!
!FeCl
3
!____________________________________________!!
NaI!_______________________________________________!
!MgCO
3
!__________________________________________
!
ANSWER5KEY:5
NaCl!sodium!chloride!!
Fe
2
(CO
3
)
3
!iron(III)!carbonate!!
Cu(OH)
2
!copper(II)!hydroxide!!
(NH
4
)
2
SO
4
!ammonium!sulfate!!
LiNO
3
!lithium!nitrate!!
BaSO
4
!barium!sulfate!!
!
!
Mg(NO
3
)
2
!magnesium!nitrate!!
AgCl!silver!chloride!•!(note:!silver!is!one!of!
the!transition!metals!that!only!occurs!as!a!
(1+)!ion)!Al(OH)
3!
aluminum!hydroxide!!
CaSO
4!
calcium!sulfate!!
FeS!Iron(II)!sulfide!!
FeCl
3!
iron(III)!chloride!!
NaI!sodium!iodide!!
MgCO
3
!magnesium!carbonate
!
3. PRACTICE!PROBLEM:!Write!the!formula!for!the!following!covalent!compounds:!
a.!disulfur!tetrafluoride!_________________________!!
b.!carbon!trioxide!_______________________________!!
c.!nitrogen!pentoxide!___________________________!!
d.!nitrogen!tribromide!_________________________!!
e.!dinitrogen!heptachloride!____________________!
f.!carbon!tetrachloride__________________________!
g.!hydrogen!monochloride______________________!
h.!trihydrogen!monophosphide!________________!
! NOMENCLATURE!IONIC-COVALENT!COMPOUNDS! ! ! !
Created!by:!Julio!Cesar!Torres!Orozco!
!
!!! ! ! !
i.!dihydrogen!monoxide!________________________!
!
ANSWER!KEY:!
a.!disulfur!tetrafluoride!S
2
F
4!
!
b.!carbon!trioxide!CO
3
!!
c.!nitrogen!pentoxide!NO
5
!!
d.!nitrogen!tribromide!NBr
3
!!
e.!dinitrogen!heptachloride!N
2
Cl
7
!!
f.!carbon!tetrachloride!CCl
4
!!
g.!hydrogen!monochloride!HCl!!
h.!trihydrogen!monophosphide!H
3
P!!
i.!dihydrogen!monoxide!H
2
O!
!
4. PRACTICE!PROBLEM:!Write!the!names!of!the!following!covalent!compounds
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8
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