While there are many thousands of different chemical compounds there is a very definite system

of nomenclature whereby we can name or write chemical formulas for most compounds. We
divide the compounds into two main types binary compounds and ternary compounds.
Binary Compounds
All true binary compounds contain only two elements. The name of every binary compound ends
with ide. Binary compounds come in three types. They are:
Type I............. the metal forms only one type of cation
Type II............ the metal forms two or more types of cations
Type III.......... contains only nonmetals
We will look at each type, one at a time.
Type I Binary Compounds/Ionic Compounds without transition metal
For Type I binary compounds the metal present can be found in either Group 1 or Group 2 on
the periodic table. The naming system for this type of compound is quite simple and is found
below.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Rules for naming Type I binary compounds

The cation is always named first and the anion second.
A simple cation (obtained from a single atom) takes its name from the name of the
element.
A simple anion (obtained from a single atom) is named by taking the first part of the
element name (the root) and adding the letters IDE.
Write the name for the compound by combining the names of the ions.

Examples:
Name the compound RbI.
1. Rb is the chemical symbol for rubidium.
2. I is the chemical symbol for iodine, whose root is iod. Add the ide ending to
get iodide.
3. Put the pieces together to get the name rubidium iodide.
Name the compound CaO.
1. Ca is the chemical symbol for calcium.
2. O is the symbol for oxygen, whose root is ox. Add the ide ending to get oxide.
3. Put the pieces together to get the name calcium oxide.
Name the compound Li3N.
1. Li is the chemical symbol for lithium.
2. N is the chemical symbol for nitrogen, whose root is nitr. Add the ide ending to
get nitride.
3. Put the pieces together to get the name lithium nitride.
Write the formula for potassium sulfide.
1. The chemical symbol of potassium is K. K is in the 1st column of the periodic table,
therefore, its oxidation state is +1.
2. Sulfide is derived from sulfur, whose symbol is S. Its oxidation state is -2.
+1 -2
3. So far we have K S.
4. The total positive charge must balance the total negative charge. Therefore, we need 2 K
atoms to give a total positive charge of +2. This balances the -2 charge on the sulfur.
5. Putting it all together we have K2S.
Write the formula for magnesium chloride.

1. The chemical symbol of magnesium is Mg. Mg is in the 2nd column of the periodic table,
therefore, its oxidation state is +2.
2. Chloride is derived from chlorine, whose symbol is Cl. Its oxidation state is -1.
+2

-1

3. So far we have Mg Cl
4. The total positive charge must balance the total negative charge. Therefore, we need 2
chlorine atoms to give a total negative charge of -2. This balances the charge on the
magnesium.
5. Putting it all together we have MgCl2.
Additional examples
NaCl sodium chloride
KI potassium iodide
RbBr rubidium bromide
MgS magnesium sulfide
Mg3N2 magnesium nitride
Sodium fluoride NaF
Strontium oxide SrO
Beryllium chloride BeCl2
Cesium sulfide Ce2S
Potassium phophide K3P
Type II Binary Compounds/Ionic Compound with transition metal
For Type II binary compounds the metal present is NOT found in either Group 1 or Group 2 on
the periodic table. The naming system for this type of compound is found below.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Rules for naming Type II binary compounds

The cation is always named first and the anion second.
A simple cation (obtained from a single atom) takes its name from the name of the
element. Include a Roman numeral to indicate the oxidation number (charge) on the
metal cation.
A simple anion (obtained from a single atom) is named by taking the first part of the
element name (the root) and adding the letters IDE.
Write the name for the compound by combining the names of the ions.
Roman numerals

1......... I
2......... II
3......... III
4......... IV
5......... V

6......... VI
7......... VII
8......... VIII
9......... IX
10....... X

Name the compound FeCl2.

1. Fe is the chemical symbol for iron.
2. Fe is not in the 1st or 2nd column; therefore a Roman numeral is needed in the name. Well
come back to that shortly.
3. Cl is the chemical symbol for chlorine, whose root is chlor. Add the ide ending to get
chloride.
4. At this point we have iron (??) chloride.
5. To find the Roman numeral
6. Find the charge of the anion.
i. Cl has a -1 charge.
7. Multiply times the number of those atoms to get the total negative charge.
i. There are 2 Cl atoms.
ii. 2 times -1 = -2. <--- total negative charge.
8. Balance total negative charge with total positive charge.

i. The total negative charge of -2 must be balanced with a total positive

charge of +2.
9. Divide the total positive charge by the number of atoms to get Roman numeral.
i. There is only 1 Fe
ii. +2 divided by 1 = +2. The Roman numeral is II.
10. Put the pieces together to get the name iron (II) chloride.
Name the compound PbS2.
1. Pb is the chemical symbol for lead.
2. Pb is not in the 1st or 2nd column; therefore a Roman numeral is needed.
3. S is sulfur, whose root is sulf. Add the ide ending to get sulfide.
4. At this point we have lead (??) sulfide.
5. To find the Roman numeral
i. S has a charge of -2.
ii. There are 2 sulfur atoms so. 2 x -2 = -4. <---- total negative charge
iii. The total positive charge must be +4.
iv. There is 1 lead atom so +4 1 = +4. The Roman numeral is IV.
6. Put the pieces together to get the name lead (IV) sulfide.
Write the formula for nickel (III) oxide.
1. The chemical symbol of nickel is Ni. The oxidation state is +3, as given by the Roman
numeral.
2. Oxide is derived from oxygen, whose symbol is O. Its oxidation state is -2.
+3 -2
3. So far we have Ni O.
4. In order to balance the charges we find the least common multiple (LCM) of 3 and 2. The
LCM is 6. We need two Ni atoms (+6 +3 = 2) and three O atoms (-6 -2 = 3) to
balance the charges.
5. Putting it all together we have Ni2O3.
Write the formula for lead (IV) nitride.
1. The chemical symbol of lead is Pb. The oxidation state is +4.
2. Nitride is derived from nitrogen, whose symbol is N. Its oxidation state is -3.
+4 -3
3. So far we have Pb N.
a. The LCM of 4 and 3 is 12. We need three Pb atoms (+12 +4 = 3) and 4 N atoms
(-12 -3 = 4) to balance the charges.
4. Putting it all together we have Pb3N4.
Write the name for iron (II) oxide.
1. The chemical symbol of iron is Fe. The oxidation state is +2.
2. Oxide is derived from oxygen, whose symbol is O. Its oxidation state is -2.
+2

-2

3. So far we have Fe O
4. Since the charges already balance there is no additional work to be done.
5. Putting it all together we have FeO.
Additional examples
Fe2O3 Iron (III) oxide
CuCl Copper (I) chloride
CuCl2 Copper (II) chloride
PbS lead (II) sulfide
PbS2 lead (IV) sulfide
Chromium (VI) oxide CrO3
Cobalt (III) sulfide Co2S3
Nickel (II) bromide NiBr2
Mercury (II) phosphide Hg3P2

Cadmium (II) iodide CdI2

Type III Binary Compounds/Covalent Compounds
Type III binary compounds contain no metal atoms. There are two different naming
systems for Type III binary compounds: the old system and the new system. The old system
uses prefixes to indicate the number of each atom present and the new system is identical to that
used for naming Type II compounds.
It is important to note that only one system can be used at a time. NEVER mix prefixes and
Roman numerals.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Rules for naming Type III binary compounds: the OLD SYSTEM
The first element in the formula is named first, and the full element name is used.
The second element is named as though it were an anion: root + ide
Prefixes are used to denote the numbers of atoms present. (See table below)
The prefix mono- is never used for naming the first element.
Prefixes

1......... mono
2......... di
3......... tri
4......... tetra
5......... penta

6......... hexa
7......... hepta
8......... octa
9......... nona
10....... deca

Name the compound NO2.

1. N is the chemical symbol of nitrogen. Since there is only one nitrogen atom AND
it is the first element the prefix mono is not used.
2. O is the chemical symbol of oxygen, whose root is ox. Add the ide ending to get
oxide. There are two oxygen atoms so we also add the prefix di to get dioxide.
3. Put the pieces together to get the name nitrogen dioxide.
Name the compound N2O.
1. N is the chemical symbol of nitrogen. Since there are two nitrogen atoms we
need to add the prefix di to get dinitrogen.
2. O is the chemical symbol of oxygen, whose root is ox. Add the ide ending to
get oxide. There is only one oxygen atom we add the prefix mono (mono IS used
for the second element) to getmonoxide.
3. Put the pieces together to get the name dinitrogen monoxide.
Write the formula for carbon tetrachloride.
1. The chemical symbol of carbon is C. There is no prefix before carbon in the
chemical name, therefore, there is only 1 C atom in the chemical formula.
2. Tetrachloride has the prefix tetra which means there are 4 atoms present.
Chloride is derived from chlorine, whose symbol is Cl. Thus, there are 4 Cl atoms
in the chemical formula.
3. Putting it all together we have CCl4.
Write the formula for dinotrogen pentoxide.
1. The prefix di means 2. Thus there are 2 N atoms in the chemical formula.
2. The prefix penta means 5. Thus, there are 5 O atoms in the chemical formula.
3. Putting it all together we have N2O5.
Now let us apply the new system to these same compounds. For Type III binary
compounds the new system is identical to that used to name Type II binary compounds. The
advantage to using the new system is that you have one less system to learn.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Rules for naming Type III binary compounds: the NEW SYSTEM
The cation is always named first and the anion second.
A simple cation (obtained from a single atom) takes its name from the name of the
element. Include a Roman numeral to indicate the oxidation number (charge) on the
metal cation.
A simple anion (obtained from a single atom) is named by taking the first part of the
element name (the root) and adding the letters IDE.
Write the name for the compound by combining the names of the ions.

Name the compound NO2.

1. N is the chemical symbol for nitrogen.
2. Nitrogen is not in the 1st or 2nd column; therefore a Roman numeral is needed in the name.
3. O is the symbol for oxygen, whose root is ox. Add the ide ending to get oxide.
4. At this point we have nitrogen (??) oxide.
5. To find the Roman numeral
i. O has a charge of -2.
ii. 2 oxygen atoms times -2 = -4. <---- total negative charge.
iii. The total negative charge of -4 must be balanced with a total positive
charge of +4.
iv. +4 divided by 1 (one N atom) = +4. The Roman numeral is IV.
6. Put the pieces together to get the name nitrogen (IV) oxide.
Name the compound N2O.
1. N is the chemical symbol for nitrogen.
2. Nitrogen is not in the 1st or 2nd column; therefore a Roman numeral is needed in the name.
3. O is the symbol for oxygen, whose root is ox. Add the ide ending to get oxide.
4. At this point we have nitrogen (??) oxide.
5. To find the Roman numeral.
i. O has a charge of -2.
ii. 2 oxygen atoms times -2 = -4. <---- total negative charge.
iii. The total positive charge must be +2.
iv. +2 divided by 2 (2 N atoms) = +1. The Roman numeral is I.
6. Put the pieces together to get the name nitrogen (I) oxide.
Write the formula for carbon(IV) chloride.
1. The symbol for carbon is C. The oxidation state is +4, as given by the Roman numeral.
2. Chloride is derived from chlorine. The charge on chlorine is -1.
+4 -1

3. So far we have C Cl
4. The LCM of 4 and 1 is 4. We need 1 C atom (+4 +4 = 1) and 4 Cl atoms (-4 -1 = 4)
to balance the charges.
5. Putting it all together we have CCl4.
Write the formula for nitrogen (V) oxide.
1. The symbol for nitrogen is N. The Roman numeral indicates a charge of +5.
2. Oxide is derived from oxygen. The charge on oxygen is -2.
+5

-2

3. So far we have N O
4. The LCM of 5 and 2 is 10. Therefore, we need 2 N atoms and 5 O atoms to balance
the charges.
5. Putting it all together we have N2O5.
Ternary Compounds
(A.K.A. Compounds that contain polyatomic ions)
An ion is an atom with an electric charge (positive or negative).

A polyatomic ion is a group of atoms with an electric charge. (Even though it is a group of
atoms it acts like it were a single atom.)
The names of nearly all polyatomic ions end with the letters ate or ite. Beware three
exceptions: cyanide, hydroxide, and peroxide. These ions end with ide which can trick into
thinking you have a binary compound when you actually have a ternary compound.
Naming ternary compounds
Follow the naming systems for Type I and Type II binary compounds but
DONT CHANGE THE NAME OF THE POLYATOMIC ION.
Examples
Na2SO4 sodium sulfate
KH2PO4 potassium dihydrogen phosphate
Fe(NO3)3 iron (III) nitrate
Mn(OH)2 manganese (II) hydroxide
Na2SO3 sodium sulfite
Calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2
Sodium phosphate Na3PO4
Ammonium dichromate (NH4)2Cr2O7
Cobalt (II) perchlorate Co(ClO4)2
Copper (II) nitrite Cu(NO2)2

Naming Polyatomic Ions that Contain Oxygen

There are many atoms that form several different polyatomic ions with oxygen. The
naming system for these ions is based on two things: the most common ion in each series and the
number of oxygen atoms compared to the most common ion. The ones that concern us most are
ions of phosphorus, sulfur, nitrogen, chlorine, and carbon. Memorize these ions!
PO43SO42NO3ClO3CO32-

= phosphate
= sulfate
= nitrate
= chlorate
= carbonate

Naming Polyatomic Ions that Contain Oxygen

One more oxygen that the most common............... per___ate
Most common..................................................... ___ate
One less oxygen that the most common.................. ___ite
Two less oxygens than the most common............... hypo___ite
Examples
PO53PO43PO33PO23SO52SO42SO32SO22-

= perphosphate
= phosphate (most common)
= phosphite
= hypophosphite
= persulfate
= sulfate (most common)
= sulfite
= hyposulfite

Note: Some of the ions do not exist in the real world, they are written here to show how
to use the naming system.

Naming Acids
For this class, ALL acids begin with H (hydrogen). The names of ALL acids end with the
word acid. There are two types of acids: those that contain oxygen and those that do not.
1.
2.

Naming acids that DO NOT contain oxygen

Take the name of the anion, add the prefix hydro and change the ending to ic.
Add the word acid.

Name the compounds HF.

1. We know this is an acid because the chemical formula starts with H.
2. Take the name of the anion (fluoride) add the prefix hydro and change the ending to
ic: hydrofluoric
3. Finally, add the word acid.
4. hydrofluoric acid
Name the compound HCN.
1. We know this is an acid because the chemical formula starts with H.
2. There is no oxygen present so we start with the prefix hydro.
3. Next, take the name of the anion (cyanide) and change the ending to ic:
hydrocyanic
4. Finally, add the word acid.
5. hydrocyanic acid
Write the formula for hydrobromic acid.
1. We know the formula starts with H because it is an acid. The charge on hydrogen
is +1.
2. We also know that the acid does not contain oxygen because of the hydro prefix.
3. Removing the hydro and ic leaves us with brom, the root of bromine or Br.
The charge on bromine is -1.
+1

-1

4. So far we have H Br
5. Balance the charges to get the formula HBr.
Write the formula for hydrosulfuric acid.
1. We know the formula starts with H because it is an acid. The charge on hydrogen
is +1.
2. We also know that the acid does not contain oxygen because of the hydro prefix.
3. Removing the hydro and ic leaves us with sulfur. The charge on sulfur is -2.
+1 -2

4. So far we have H S
5. Balance the charges to get the formula H2S.
1.
2.
3.

Naming Acids the DO contain oxygen

Find the name of the polyatomic ion.
Change ate to ic or ite to ous.
Add the word acid.

Name the compound HClO4.

1. You know its an acid because it starts with H.
2. ClO4- is the perchlorate ion.
3. Change the ate to ic and get perchloric.
4. Add the word acid and get perchloric acid.
Name the compound H2SO3.
1. You know its an acid because it starts with H.
2. SO32- is the sulfite ion.
3. Change the ite to ous and get sulfous.

4. Add the word acid and get sulfous acid.

o
The name is actually sulfurous acid, but I will count sulfous acid correct
because it follows the naming system.
Write the formula for phosphorous acid.
1. The word acid tells us the first element is H. The charge on H is +1.
2. We also know it is a ternary acid because the prefix hydro (meaning binary acid)
is missing.
3. Change ous to ite to get phophite. The formula for phophite is PO3-3.
4. Putting it together and balancing the charges we get H3PO3.

Cortez, Lovely O.
BSBA-FM 2C