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Understanding Ionic Compound Naming

May 28, 2025

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Naming Ionic Compounds Lecture

Introduction to Naming Ionic Compounds

  • Focus on:
    • Binary ionic compounds
    • Compounds with polyatomic ions
    • Transition metals with Roman numerals

Basics of Naming Ionic Compounds

  • Ionic compounds composed of a metal and a non-metal.
  • Different from molecular compounds which often involve two non-metals and use prefixes (mono, di, tri, tetra).
  • No prefixes (mono, di, etc.) needed for ionic compounds.

Examples of Binary Ionic Compounds

  1. NaCl

    • Na: Sodium
    • Cl: Chlorine → Chloride
    • Name: Sodium Chloride

  2. MgBr₂

    • Mg: Magnesium
    • Br: Bromine → Bromide
    • Name: Magnesium Bromide

  3. AlF₃

    • Al: Aluminum
    • F: Fluorine → Fluoride
    • Name: Aluminum Fluoride

  4. CaO

    • Ca: Calcium
    • O: Oxygen → Oxide
    • Name: Calcium Oxide

  5. Sr₃N₂

    • Sr: Strontium
    • N: Nitrogen → Nitride
    • Name: Strontium Nitride

  6. BaS

    • Ba: Barium
    • S: Sulfur → Sulfide
    • Name: Barium Sulfide

Naming Compounds with Polyatomic Ions

  • Polyatomic ions need to be memorized as the periodic table does not provide their names.
  • Use a polyatomic ion sheet if provided by the instructor.

Examples:

  1. Li₂SO₄

    • Li: Lithium
    • SO₄: Sulfate
    • Name: Lithium Sulfate

  2. Na₂CO₃

    • Na: Sodium
    • CO₃: Carbonate
    • Name: Sodium Carbonate

  3. Ba(OH)₂

    • Ba: Barium
    • OH: Hydroxide
    • Name: Barium Hydroxide

  4. K(C₂H₃O₂)

    • K: Potassium
    • C₂H₃O₂: Acetate
    • Name: Potassium Acetate

  5. Zn(ClO₄)₂

    • Zn: Zinc
    • ClO₄: Perchlorate
    • Name: Zinc Perchlorate

  6. NH₄NO₃

    • NH₄: Ammonium
    • NO₃: Nitrate
    • Name: Ammonium Nitrate

Compounds with Transition Metals

  • Transition metals can have multiple charges.
  • Use Roman numerals to indicate the charge.

Examples:

  1. FeCl₂

    • Fe: Iron
    • Cl: Chloride
    • Charge of Fe: +2 → Iron(II) Chloride

  2. FeCl₃

    • Fe: Iron
    • Cl: Chloride
    • Charge of Fe: +3 → Iron(III) Chloride

  3. CuBr

    • Cu: Copper
    • Br: Bromide
    • Charge of Cu: +1 → Copper(I) Bromide

  4. CuBr₂

    • Cu: Copper
    • Br: Bromide
    • Charge of Cu: +2 → Copper(II) Bromide

  5. CrS

    • Cr: Chromium
    • S: Sulfide
    • Charge of Cr: +2 → Chromium(II) Sulfide

  6. Cr₂S₃

    • Cr: Chromium
    • S: Sulfide
    • Charge of Cr: +3 → Chromium(III) Sulfide

  7. SnO

    • Sn: Tin
    • O: Oxide
    • Charge of Sn: +2 → Tin(II) Oxide

  8. SnO₂

    • Sn: Tin
    • O: Oxide
    • Charge of Sn: +4 → Tin(IV) Oxide

Review of Roman Numerals

  • I: 1
  • II: 2
  • III: 3
  • V: 5
  • IV: 4 (5-1)
  • VI: 6 (5+1)
  • VII: 7 (5+2)
  • Typically do not need numbers beyond VII for this course.

Additional Examples

  1. PbSO₄

    • Pb: Lead
    • SO₄: Sulfate
    • Charge of Pb: +2 → Lead(II) Sulfate

  2. Pb(CO₃)₂

    • Pb: Lead
    • CO₃: Carbonate
    • Charge of Pb: +4 → Lead(IV) Carbonate

Now you should have a basic understanding of how to name various types of ionic compounds, including those with transition metals and polyatomic ions.

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