Chemical Nomenclature
Chemical Nomenclature
By the end of this lesson and the next few, you should be able to derive names for common types of inorganic compounds using a systematic approach.
Nomenclature, a collection of rules for naming things, is important in science and in many other situations. This lesson and the next few describes an approach that is used to name simple ionic and molecular compounds, such as NaCl, CaCO3, and N2O4. The simplest of these are binary compounds, those containing only two elements, but we will also consider how to name ionic compounds containing polyatomic ions, and one specific, very important class of compounds known as acids (we will focus on these compounds in great detail later).
We will limit our attention here to inorganic compounds, compounds that are composed principally of elements other than carbon, and will follow the nomenclature guidelines proposed by IUPAC. The rules for organic compounds, in which carbon is the principle element, will be treated in a later chapter on organic chemistry.
Ionic Compounds
To name an inorganic compound, we need to consider the answers to several questions. First, is the compound ionic or molecular? If the compound is ionic, does the metal form ions of only one type (fixed charge) or more than one type (variable charge)? Are the ions monatomic or polyatomic? If the compound is molecular, does it contain hydrogen? If so, does it also contain oxygen? From the answers we derive, we place the compound in an appropriate category and then name it accordingly.
Compounds Containing Only Monatomic Ions
The name of a binary compound containing monatomic ions consists of the name of the cation (the name of the metal) followed by the name of the anion (the name of the nonmetallic element with its ending replaced by the suffix –ide). Some examples are given in the table below.
| Names of Some Ionic Compounds | |
|---|---|
| NaCl, sodium chloride | Na2O, sodium oxide |
| KBr, potassium bromide | CdS, cadmium sulfide |
| CaI2, calcium iodide | Mg3N2, magnesium nitride |
| CsF, cesium fluoride | Ca3P2, calcium phosphide |
| LiCl, lithium chloride | Al4C3, aluminum carbide |
Compounds Containing Polyatomic Ions
Compounds containing polyatomic ions are named similarly to those containing only monatomic ions, except there is no need to change to an –ide ending, since the suffix is already present in the name of the anion. Examples are shown in the table below.
| Names of Some Polyatomic Ionic Compounds | ||
|---|---|---|
| KC2H3O2, potassium acetate | (NH4)Cl, ammonium chloride | |
| NaHCO3, sodium bicarbonate | CaSO4, calcium sulfate | |
| Al2(CO3)3, aluminum carbonate | Mg3(PO4)2, magnesium phosphate | |
Ionic Compounds in Your Cabinets
Every day you encounter and use a large number of ionic compounds. Some of these compounds, where they are found, and what they are used for are listed in the table below. Look at the label or ingredients list on the various products that you use during the next few days, and see if you run into any of those in this table, or find other ionic compounds that you could now name or write as a formula.
| Everyday Ionic Compounds | |
|---|---|
| Ionic Compound | Use |
| NaCl, sodium chloride | ordinary table salt |
| KI, potassium iodide | added to “iodized” salt for thyroid health |
| NaF, sodium fluoride | ingredient in toothpaste |
| NaHCO3, sodium bicarbonate | baking soda; used in cooking (and as antacid) |
| Na2CO3, sodium carbonate | washing soda; used in cleaning agents |
| NaOCl, sodium hypochlorite | active ingredient in household bleach |
| CaCO3 calcium carbonate | ingredient in antacids |
| Mg(OH)2, magnesium hydroxide | ingredient in antacids |
| Al(OH)3, aluminum hydroxide | ingredient in antacids |
| NaOH, sodium hydroxide | lye; used as drain cleaner |
| K3PO4, potassium phosphate | food additive (many purposes) |
| MgSO4, magnesium sulfate | added to purified water |
| Na2HPO4, sodium hydrogen phosphate | anti-caking agent; used in powdered products |
| Na2SO3, sodium sulfite | preservative |
Compounds Containing a Metal Ion with a Variable Charge
Most of the transition metals can form two or more cations with different charges. Compounds of these metals with nonmetals are named with the same method as compounds in the first category, except the charge of the metal ion is specified by a Roman numeral in parentheses after the name of the metal. The charge of the metal ion is determined from the formula of the compound and the charge of the anion.
For example, consider binary ionic compounds of iron and chlorine. Iron typically exhibits a charge of either 2+ or 3+ (see previous lesson), and the two corresponding compound formulas are FeCl2 and FeCl3. The simplest name, “iron chloride,” will, in this case, be ambiguous, as it does not distinguish between these two compounds. In cases like this, the charge of the metal ion is included as a Roman numeral in parentheses immediately following the metal name. These two compounds are then unambiguously named iron(II) chloride and iron(III) chloride, respectively. Other examples are provided in the table below.
| Names of Some Transition Metal Ionic Compounds | |
|---|---|
| Transition Metal Ionic Compound | Name |
| FeCl3 | iron(III) chloride |
| Hg2O | mercury(I) oxide |
| HgO | mercury(II) oxide |
| Cu3(PO4)2 | copper(II) phosphate |
Out-of-date nomenclature used the suffixes –ic and –ous to designate metals with higher and lower charges, respectively: Iron(III) chloride, FeCl3, was previously called ferric chloride, and iron(II) chloride, FeCl2, was known as ferrous chloride. Though this naming convention has been largely abandoned by the scientific community, it remains in use by some segments of industry. For example, you may see the words stannous fluoride on a tube of toothpaste. This represents the formula SnF2, which is more properly named tin(II) fluoride. The other fluoride of tin is SnF4, which was previously called stannic fluoride but is now named tin(IV) fluoride.
Naming Ionic Compounds
Name the following ionic compounds, which contain a metal that can have more than one ionic charge:
(a) Fe2S3
(b) CuSe
(c) GaN
(d) CrCl3
(e) Ti2(SO4)3
Solution
The anions in these compounds have a fixed negative charge \((\text{S}^{2−}, \text{Se}^{2−}, \text{N}^{3−}, \text{Cl}^{−},\) and \(\text{SO}_{4}^{2−}),\) and the compounds must be neutral. Because the total number of positive charges in each compound must equal the total number of negative charges, the positive ions must be Fe3+, Cu2+, Ga3+, Cr3+, and Ti3+. These charges are used in the names of the metal ions:
(a) iron(III) sulfide
(b) copper(II) selenide
(c) gallium(III) nitride
(d) chromium(III) chloride
(e) titanium(III) sulfate
This lesson is part of:
Atoms, Molecules and Ions