INORGANIC NOMENCLATURE
Ionic compounds can be classified as IONIC or COVALENT
1. IONIC COMPOUNDS
Binary Ionic Compounds (only 2 elements form the compound)
- Basic Oxides = Metal + Oxygen → Name: Metal(ox#) Oxide
- Most of these oxides react with water to produce hydroxides
- Peroxides = Metals + Oxygen → Name: Metal(ox#) Peroxide
- Many peroxides decompose releasing hydrogen gas.
- Binary Salts = Metal + Non-metal → Name: Metal(ox#) Non-Metal-IDE
More complex Ionic Compounds (More than 2 elements form the compound) Most of the time one or 2 polyatomic ions are involved.
- Oxo- Salts = Metal + polyatomic ion →Name: Metal(ox#) Polyatomic ion
- Ammonium- Salts (I)= Ammonium + Non Metal →Name: Ammonium Non-Metal-IDE
- Ammonium- Salts (II)= Ammonium + Polyatomic Ion →Name: Ammonium Polyatomic Ion Name
2. COVALENT COMPOUNDS
Binary Covalent Compounds (only 2 elements form the compound)
- Covalent compounds use prefixes in both names
- Format: PREFIXelement1 PREFIXelement2IDE
- Mono (never used in the first name)
- Di
- Tri
- Tetra
- Penta
- Hexa
- Hepta
- Octa
- Nona
- Deca
- Name the non-metal furthest to the left on the periodic table by its elemental name with the prefix if different than 1
- Name the second non-metal by its elemental name with the prefix and the suffix “ide” at the end.
- The element at the end is always the most electronegative of both.
- General Binary Compounds = Non-metal + Non-Metal→ Name: Prefix-element1 Prefix-element2-ide
- These compounds do not have oxygen or hydrogen
- Acidic Oxides = Non-metal + Oxygen → Name: Prefix-element1 Prefix-oxide
- These oxides react with water to produce Oxo-acids