Naming Inorganic Compounds
common names
systematic names
Molecular Common
Formula name
Systematic
name
AgCl
Lunar caustic Silver chloride
H2SO4
Oil of vitriol
Sulfuric acid
MgSO4
Epsom salts
Magnesium sulfate
Nonenclature
When naming chemical compounds we
distinguish between
Organic compounds
- compounds containing carbon.
Exceptions: CO, CO2, CS2, CN-, CO32-, HCO3-, H2CO3
Inorganic compounds
- all other compounds
we can break the naming of inorganic
compounds into four categories:
Ionic compounds
Molecular compounds
Acids and Bases
Hydrates
Naming binary ionic compounds
binary compounds contain two elements
and are named as two words
first word is name of more electropositive element
second word is first part of name of more
electronegative element followed by -ide
Example
Write the formulas for the following
compounds:
(a) potassium sulfide
K+
S2–
Answer: K2S
Binary compounds of metals (cont’d)
When metal can form more than one type of
cation, indicate charge by Roman numeral in
parenthesis
MnO
Mn2O3
MnO2
manganese(II) oxide
manganese(III) oxide
manganese(IV) oxide
use of the suffixes -ous and -ic is discouraged
Example
Write the formulas for the following
compounds:
(a) tin(II) fluoride
Sn2+
F–
Answer: SnF2
Example
Write the formulas for the following
compounds:
(a) mercury(II) oxide
Hg2+
O2–
Answer: HgO
Polyatomic Ions
molecules with a charge
:
(SO42- )
S
: O:
:
:O
:
:
:O:
O:
Polyatomic Ions
(CO32- )
(CrO42- )
(OH- )
carbonate
chromate
hydroxide
(NO3- )
nitrate
(Cr2O72- )
dichromate
(ClO3- )
chlorate
(BrO3- )
bromate
Iodate
(IO3- )
peroxide
O22–
–O O –
acetate
C2H3O2–
H O
H
C
H
C
O–
Example
Name the following ionic compounds:
(a) Cu(NO3)2
Cu2+
2NO3Answer: copper(II)nitrate
Naming Molecular Compounds
Molecular Compounds
Electrons are shared by the atoms.
Covalent Bonds
Electrons however are not shared equally.
δ+ H
105°
O
2δ−
H δ+
naming binary compounds of
nonmetals
1) more electropositive element named first
(and listed first in chemical formula)
2) more electronegative element named in usual
way (with -ide suffix)
3) counting prefixes are used with each name
but mono is not used with first name
Greek prefixes used in naming
molecular compounds
Prefix
Meaning
Prefix
Meaning
MonoDiTriTetraPenta-
1
2
3
4
5
HexaHeptaOctaNonaDeca-
6
7
8
9
10
Name the following compounds
ClF3
chlorine trifluoride
SCl2
sulfur dichloride
Cl2O7
dichlorine heptoxide
Naming Acids
Naming an acid depends on whether the
anion contains oxygen
If the anion does not contain oxygen the acid
is named with the prefix hydro and the suffix
--ic
If the anion contains oxygen the acid name is
formed from the root name of the anion with
the suffix -ic or -ous
Names for some binary acids
Anion
Corresponding Acid
F– (fluoride)
Cl– (chloride)
Br– (bromide)
I– (iodide)
CN– (cyanide)
HF (hydrofluoric acid)
HCl (hydrochloric acid)
HBr (hydrobromic acid)
HI (hydroiodic acid)
HCN (hydrocyanic acid)
S2– (sulfide)
H2S (hydrosulfuric acid)
Ternary acids
three element acids
most ternary acids are oxyacids containing
hydrogen, oxygen, and one other element
Oxyacids
acetate anion
acetic acid
H O
H
C
H
C
H O
O–
H
C
H
C
O
H
Oxyacids
perchlorate
ClO4– perchloric acid
Addition of one O atom
chlorate
ClO3–
chloric acid
HClO3
HOClO2
chlorous acid
HClO2
HOClO
removal of one O atom
chlorite
ClO2–
removal of two O atoms
HClO4
HOClO3
hypochlorite ClO– hypochlorous acid HOCl
Hydrates
Compounds that have a specific number of
water molecules attached to them
Copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate
CuSO4 • 5H2O
Copper(II) sulfate anhydrous
CuSO4
Anhydrous - the water molecules
have been driven off by heating
Chemical Equations
shows the results of a chemical process
reactants (reagents)
products
coefficients
the numbers in front of formulas in
chemical equations
gives the relative number of molecules
taking part in a reaction
Skeleton Equations
is a term which describes using chemical
formulas rather than words to identify the
reactants and products
2H2 (g) + O2 (g)
2H2O (g)
Chemical bonds have been broken and new
chemical bonds have been formed
Writing Chemical Equations
2 H2(g) + O2(g)
2H2O (g)
+
4.04 g
32.00 g
36.04 g
Parentheses show physical state of substances
physical state of substances
(s) = solid
(l) = liquid
(g) = gas
(aq) = aqueous (dissolved in water)
Example
mass interpretation
2H2 + O2
2H2O
4g
32 g
36 g
Start:
4g
32g
0
Finish:
0
0
36 g
The law of conservation of mass
requires that chemical equations
must balance.
What goes in
Must come out
Writing and balancing the equation for a
chemical reaction
1. Identify all reactants and products and write their
correct formulas on the left side and right side of the
equation, respectively.
2. Begin balancing the equation by trying suitable
coefficients that will give us the same number of
atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.
Change coefficients, but not subscripts.
3. Look for elements that appear only once on each
side of the equation. Balance these first.
4. Check.
Example
Balance the following equation
Fe2O3 + CO
2 Fe + 2CO2
Example
Balance the following equation
Fe2O3 +3CO
2 Fe + 3CO2
Example
Balance the following equation
NH3 + O2
NO + H2O
2 NH3 + O2
2 NO + 3 H2O
2NH3 + (5/2)O2
2NO + 3H2O
multiply everything by 2
4NH3 + 5O2
4NO + 6H2O