Major Steps in Naming Chemical Compounds
1. Identify the Type of Compound
• Ionic compound → Metal + Nonmetal (or polyatomic ion).
• Covalent (molecular) compound → Nonmetal + Nonmetal.
• Acid → Hydrogen + Anion.
• Special cases → Hydrates, organic compounds (alkanes, alcohols, etc. –
usually studied separately).
2. For Ionic Compounds
a. Name the cation (positive ion) first
• For main-group metals (Groups 1, 2, some 13): just use the element name.
o Example: Na⁺ → sodium, Ca²⁺ → calcium.
• For transition metals: use a Roman numeral to show the charge.
o Example: Fe²⁺ → iron(II), Fe³⁺ → iron(III).
b. Name the anion (negative ion) second
• For monatomic anions: change the ending of the element to –ide.
o Example: Cl⁻ → chloride, O²⁻ → oxide.
• For polyatomic anions: use the ion name as is.
o Example: SO₄²⁻ → sulfate, NO₃⁻ → nitrate.
c. Combine names:
• NaCl → sodium chloride
• FeCl₃ → iron(III) chloride
• Ca(NO₃)₂ → calcium nitrate
3. For Covalent (Molecular) Compounds
a. Use prefixes to show the number of atoms (except “mono–” on the first
element).
1 mono–
2 di–
3 tri–
4 tetra–
5 penta–
6 hexa–
7 hepta–
8 octa–
9 nona–
10 deca–
b. Name the first element normally, second element with –ide ending.
• CO → carbon monoxide
• CO₂ → carbon dioxide
• N₂O₅ → dinitrogen pentoxide
4. For Acids
a. Binary acids (H + single element)
• Hydro + root + “ic acid”
• HCl → hydrochloric acid
b. Oxyacids (H + polyatomic ion)
• If ion ends in –ate → change to –ic acid
o H₂SO₄ (sulfate) → sulfuric acid
• If ion ends in –ite → change to –ous acid
o H₂SO₃ (sulfite) → sulfurous acid
5. For Hydrates
• Name the compound as normal, then add a prefix + “hydrate” to indicate
water molecules.
• CuSO₄·5H₂O → copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate
Summary of the whole process