Download Inorganic Nomenclature

Santa Monica College
Chemistry 11
Inorganic Nomenclature
In this exercise you will practice naming and writing chemical formulas for many inorganic
compounds, both ionic and molecular. Before beginning the exercise you should carefully read
all the sections of your text (or notes) on the names and formulas of ionic compounds, simple
covalent compounds, and acids. The following is a brief summary of the Nomenclature rules for
each of these types of compounds.
Ionic Compounds
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Composed of metal cations and non-metal anions, or, of polyatomic ions.
Names and formulas always start with the positively charged cation.
Ions are combined in ratios so that the final ionic compound is neutral.
Never use prefixes in the names of ionic compounds. The cation name is simply combined
with the anion name only.
If the cation is capable of having more than one possible charge, the cation charge is
included in the name as a Roman numeral in brackets (Stock system).
Several ion names, charges and formulas are provided in the following tables. They must
be memorized as soon as possible.
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Names of Selected Cations (names are in alphabetical order)
Al3+
Aluminum
Pb2+
Lead(II); Plumbous
NH4+
Ammonium
Pb4+
Lead(IV); Plumbic
As3+
Arsenic(III)
Li+
Lithium
Ba2+
Barium
Mg2+
Magnesium
Cd2+
Cadmium
Mn2+
Manganese(II)
Ca2+
Calcium
Mn4+
Manganese(IV)
Cr2+
Chromium(II)
Hg22+
Mercury(I); Mercurous
Cr3+
Chromium(III)
Hg2+
Mercury(II); Mercuric
Cr
6+
2+
Chromium(VI)
Ni
Co2+
Cobalt(II); Cobaltous
K+
Potassium
Co3+
Cobalt(III); Cobaltic
Ag+
Silver
Cu+
Copper(I); Cuprous
Na+
Sodium
Cu2+
Copper(II); Cupric
Rb+
Rubidium
Au3+
Gold(III); Auric
Sr2+
Strontium
+
2+
Nickel(II); Nickelous
H
Hydrogen
Sn
Tin(II); Stannous
Fe2+
Iron(II); Ferrous
Sn4+
Tin(IV); Stannic
Fe3+
Iron(III); Ferric
Zn2+
Zinc
Names of Selected Anions (names are in alphabetical order, but with oxyanions grouped together)
Inorganic Nomenclature
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Santa Monica College
Chemistry 11
C2H3O2–
Acetate
I–
Iodide
AsO43–
Arsenate
IO4–
Periodate
BO33–
Borate
MoO42-
Molybdate
B4O72–
Tetraborate
N3–
Nitride
Br–
Bromide
NO2–
Nitrite
BrO–
Hypobromite
NO3–
Nitrate
BrO3–
Bromate
C2O42–
Oxalate
CO32–
Carbonate
O2–
Oxide
HCO3–
Bicarbonate; Hydrogen carbonate
O22–
Peroxide
Cl–
Chloride
MnO4–
Permanganate
B
–
3–
ClO
Hypochlorite
P
Phosphide
ClO2–
Chlorite
PO43–
Phosphate
ClO3–
Chlorate
HPO42–
Hydrogen phosphate
ClO4–
Perchlorate
H2PO4–
Dihydrogen phosphate
CrO42–
Chromate
Se2–
Selenide
Cr2O72–
Dichromate
S2–
Sulfide
C6H5O73–
Citrate
SO32–
Sulfite
CN–
Cyanide
SO42–
Sulfate
F–
Fluoride
HSO3–
Bisulfite; Hydrogen sulfite
H–
Hydride
HSO4–
Bisulfate; Hydrogen sulfate
OH–
Hydroxide
S2O32–
Thiosulfate
SCN–
Thiocyanate
P
Examples
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K2S
2 K+1 cations and 1 S-2 anion
potassium sulfide
–
FeCl3
1 Fe+3 cation and 3 Cl-1 anions
iron(III) chloride, or ferric chloride
–
Mg3(PO4)2
3 Mg+2 cations and 2 PO4-3 anions
magnesium phosphate
Inorganic Nomenclature
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Santa Monica College
Chemistry 11
Simple Covalent (Molecular) Compounds
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Composed of non-metal atoms only.
The more metallic non-metal is written first.
Prefixes are used in the name to indicate the number of each atom present. A list of
prefixes 1-10 (and 12) is provided below, which must be memorized.
The prefix “mono” is dropped if there is only one of the first element.
The name of the second element always ends in __ide.
Prefixes for Covalent Compounds
1
Mono
2
Di
3
Tri
4
Tetra
5
Penta
6
Hexa
7
Hepta
8
Octa
9
Nona
10
Deca
12
Dodeca
Examples
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P4S3
4 P atoms and 3 S atoms
tetraphosphorus trisulfide
–
N2O
2 N atoms and 1 O atom
dinitrogen monoxide
–
BrCl5
1 Br atom and 5 Cl atoms
bromine pentachloride
Acids
Inorganic Nomenclature
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Santa Monica College
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Chemistry 11
Composed of hydrogen cations and non-metal anions or polyatomic anions.
H always leads the formula.
Acids are in the aqueous state.
Ions are combined in ratios so that the final acid is neutral.
The acid name depends on the name of the anion involved:
H+1
+
Anion →
__ide
__ate
__ite
Acid
hydro__ic acid
__ic acid
__ous acid
Examples
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HBr (aq)
1 H+1 cation and 1 Br-1 anion (bromide)
hydrobromic acid
–
HNO3 (aq)
1 H+1 cation and 1 NO3-1 anion (nitrate)
nitric acid
–
H2SO3 (aq)
2 H+1 cations and 1 SO3-2 anion (sulfite)
sulfurous acid
Hydrates
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Hydrates are solid substances that also contain water molecules in their crystal
structure.
The number of water moleculesfor each formula unit is fixed.
The formula is written the same as any other compound, but then we add a dot (•), (note
that this is NOT a multiplication sign!) followed by the number of water molecules per
ionic formula unit and the symbol H2O.
The name is the same as for any other compound, but we add the word “hydrate” at the
end with a Latin prefix to indicate the number of water molecules per ionic formula unit.
Examples
–
CuSO4 • 5 H2O
1 Cu2+ ion, 1 SO42- ion, and 5 water molecules
Copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate
–
sodium carbonate decahydrate
Na+ ion(s), CO32- ions(s), and 10 water molecules
Na2CO3 • 10H2O
Inorganic Nomenclature
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