1

Basic Nomenclature 1

Nomenclature of InorganicCompounds

Naming Simple Inorganic CompoundsDr. Carl Hoeger

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CauldronCast #1

Basic Nomenclature 2

Nomenclature-History• Early: Compounds named by those who

discovered them; usually had some historicsignificance

• Oil of Vitrol• Blue Vitrol• Laughing gas

• Problem: No real system; region/researcherspecific; needed systematic, well-definednomenclature system

• Answer: IUPAC development of standardizednomenclature schemes; some trivial namesaccepted and retained

2

Basic Nomenclature 3

Nomenclature-BasicsTwo general classes of inorganic molecules:

1. Those containing a metal cation and a nonmetal anionOR a metal cation and a polyatomic anion (ioniccompounds);

2. Those containing only nonmetals (molecularcompounds; Type III compounds)

Two different types of the first class:a) Those whose metal has only one possible positive

oxidation state (Type I compounds);b) Those whose metal has more than one possible positive

oxidation state (Type II compounds)The nomenclature scheme reflects the compounds

class/type

Basic Nomenclature 4

“Type I” Elements1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

IA VIII

A

1

H

1.00

8

IIA

IIIA

IVA

VA

VIA

VII

A

2

H e

4.002

3

L i

6.94

1

4

B e

9.01

2

5

B

10.8

1

6

C

12.0

1

7

N

14.0

1

8

O

16.0

0

9

F

19.0

0

10

N e

20.18

11

N a

22.9

9

12

M g 24.3

0 IIIB IVB VB VIB

VII

B VIII VIII VIII IB IIB

13

Al

26.9

8

14

S i

28.0

9

15

P

30.9

7

16

S

32.0

6

17

C l

35.4

5

18

Ar

39.95

19

K

39.1

0

20

C a

40.0

8

21

Sc 44.9

6

22

Ti

47.9

0

23

V

50.9

4

24

C r

52.0

0

25

Mn

54.9

4

26

F e

55.8

5

27

C o

58.9

3

28

N i

58.7

0

29

Cu

63.5

5

30

Zn

65.3

8

31

G a

69.7

2

32

G e

72.5

9

33

As

74.9

2

34

S e

78.9

6

35

B r

79.9

0

36

K r

83.80

37

R b

85.4

7

38

S r

87.6

2

39

Y

88.9

1

40

Z r

91.2

2

41

N b

92.9

1

42

Mo

95.9

4

43

Tc

(99)

44

Ru

101.

1

45

Rh

102.

9

46

P d

106.

4

47

Ag

107.

9

48

C d

112.

4

49

In

114.

8

50

Sn

118.

7

51

S b

121.

8

52

Te

127.

6

53

I 126.

9

54

X e

131.3

55

C s

132.

9

56

B a

137.

3

57

L a

138.

9

72

H f

178.

5

73

Ta

180.

9

74

W

183.

9

75

R e

186.

2

76

O s

190.

2

77

Ir

192.

2

78

P t

195.

1

79

Au

197.

0

80

H g

200.

6

81

Tl

204.

4

82

P b

207.

2

83

B i

209.

0

84

P o

(209

)

85

At

(210

)

86

Rn

(222)

87

F r

(223

)

88

R a

226.

0

89

Ac

227.

0

104

R f

(261

)

105

D b

(262

)

106

S g

(263

)

107

Bh

(262

)

108

H s

(265)

109

Mt

(266

)

110

D b

(269

)

Lanthanide series

Actinide series

= Type I

Metal

= Type II

Metal

= Type III

Non-metal

= Does not

form

compounds

58

C e

140.

1

59

P r

140.

9

60

N d

144.

2

61

P m

(147

)

62

S m

150.

4

63

Eu

152.

0

64

G d

157.

3

65

Tb

158.

9

66

Dy

162.

5

67

H o

164.

9

68

E r

167.

3

69

Tm

168.

9

70

Y b

173.

0

71

Lu

175.

0

90

Th

232.

0

91

P a

231.

0

92

U

238.

0

93

N p

(237

)

94

Pu

(244

)

95

Am

(243

)

96

C m

(247

)

97

B k

(247

)

98

C f

(251

)

99

E s

(252

)

100

F m

(257

)

101

Md

(258

)

102

N o

(259

)

103

L r

(260

)

+3+2

+1

+2

+1

3

Basic Nomenclature 5

“Type II” Elements1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

IA VIII

A

1

H

1.00

8

IIA

IIIA

IVA

VA

VIA

VII

A

2

H e

4.002

3

L i

6.94

1

4

B e

9.01

2

5

B

10.8

1

6

C

12.0

1

7

N

14.0

1

8

O

16.0

0

9

F

19.0

0

10

N e

20.18

11

N a

22.9

9

12

M g 24.3

0 IIIB IVB VB VIB

VII

B VIII VIII VIII IB IIB

13

Al

26.9

8

14

S i

28.0

9

15

P

30.9

7

16

S

32.0

6

17

C l

35.4

5

18

Ar

39.95

19

K

39.1

0

20

C a

40.0

8

21

Sc 44.9

6

22

Ti

47.9

0

23

V

50.9

4

24

C r

52.0

0

25

Mn

54.9

4

26

F e

55.8

5

27

C o

58.9

3

28

N i

58.7

0

29

Cu

63.5

5

30

Zn

65.3

8

31

G a

69.7

2

32

G e

72.5

9

33

As

74.9

2

34

S e

78.9

6

35

B r

79.9

0

36

K r

83.80

37

R b

85.4

7

38

S r

87.6

2

39

Y

88.9

1

40

Z r

91.2

2

41

N b

92.9

1

42

Mo

95.9

4

43

Tc

(99)

44

Ru

101.

1

45

Rh

102.

9

46

P d

106.

4

47

Ag

107.

9

48

C d

112.

4

49

In

114.

8

50

Sn

118.

7

51

S b

121.

8

52

Te

127.

6

53

I 126.

9

54

X e

131.3

55

C s

132.

9

56

B a

137.

3

57

L a

138.

9

72

H f

178.

5

73

Ta

180.

9

74

W

183.

9

75

R e

186.

2

76

O s

190.

2

77

Ir

192.

2

78

P t

195.

1

79

Au

197.

0

80

H g

200.

6

81

Tl

204.

4

82

P b

207.

2

83

B i

209.

0

84

P o

(209

)

85

At

(210

)

86

Rn

(222)

87

F r

(223

)

88

R a

226.

0

89

Ac

227.

0

104

R f

(261

)

105

D b

(262

)

106

S g

(263

)

107

Bh

(262

)

108

H s

(265)

109

Mt

(266

)

110

D b

(269

)

Lanthanide series

Actinide series

= Type I

Metal

= Type II

Metal

= Type III

Non-metal

= Does not

form

compounds

58

C e

140.

1

59

P r

140.

9

60

N d

144.

2

61

P m

(147

)

62

S m

150.

4

63

Eu

152.

0

64

G d

157.

3

65

Tb

158.

9

66

Dy

162.

5

67

H o

164.

9

68

E r

167.

3

69

Tm

168.

9

70

Y b

173.

0

71

Lu

175.

0

90

Th

232.

0

91

P a

231.

0

92

U

238.

0

93

N p

(237

)

94

Pu

(244

)

95

Am

(243

)

96

C m

(247

)

97

B k

(247

)

98

C f

(251

)

99

E s

(252

)

100

F m

(257

)

101

Md

(258

)

102

N o

(259

)

103

L r

(260

)

Basic Nomenclature 6

“Type III” Elements: Nonmetals1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

IA VIII

A

1

H

1.00

8

IIA

IIIA

IVA

VA

VIA

VII

A

2

H e

4.002

3

L i

6.94

1

4

B e

9.01

2

5

B

10.8

1

6

C

12.0

1

7

N

14.0

1

8

O

16.0

0

9

F

19.0

0

10

N e

20.18

11

N a

22.9

9

12

M g 24.3

0 IIIB IVB VB VIB

VII

B VIII VIII VIII IB IIB

13

Al

26.9

8

14

S i

28.0

9

15

P

30.9

7

16

S

32.0

6

17

C l

35.4

5

18

Ar

39.95

19

K

39.1

0

20

C a

40.0

8

21

Sc 44.9

6

22

Ti

47.9

0

23

V

50.9

4

24

C r

52.0

0

25

Mn

54.9

4

26

F e

55.8

5

27

C o

58.9

3

28

N i

58.7

0

29

Cu

63.5

5

30

Zn

65.3

8

31

G a

69.7

2

32

G e

72.5

9

33

As

74.9

2

34

S e

78.9

6

35

B r

79.9

0

36

K r

83.80

37

R b

85.4

7

38

S r

87.6

2

39

Y

88.9

1

40

Z r

91.2

2

41

N b

92.9

1

42

Mo

95.9

4

43

Tc

(99)

44

Ru

101.

1

45

Rh

102.

9

46

P d

106.

4

47

Ag

107.

9

48

C d

112.

4

49

In

114.

8

50

Sn

118.

7

51

S b

121.

8

52

Te

127.

6

53

I 126.

9

54

X e

131.3

55

C s

132.

9

56

B a

137.

3

57

L a

138.

9

72

H f

178.

5

73

Ta

180.

9

74

W

183.

9

75

R e

186.

2

76

O s

190.

2

77

Ir

192.

2

78

P t

195.

1

79

Au

197.

0

80

H g

200.

6

81

Tl

204.

4

82

P b

207.

2

83

B i

209.

0

84

P o

(209

)

85

At

(210

)

86

Rn

(222)

87

F r

(223

)

88

R a

226.

0

89

Ac

227.

0

104

R f

(261

)

105

D b

(262

)

106

S g

(263

)

107

Bh

(262

)

108

H s

(265)

109

Mt

(266

)

110

D b

(269

)

Lanthanide series

Actinide series

= Type I

Metal

= Type II

Metal

= Type III

Non-metal

= Does not

form

compounds

58

C e

140.

1

59

P r

140.

9

60

N d

144.

2

61

P m

(147

)

62

S m

150.

4

63

Eu

152.

0

64

G d

157.

3

65

Tb

158.

9

66

Dy

162.

5

67

H o

164.

9

68

E r

167.

3

69

Tm

168.

9

70

Y b

173.

0

71

Lu

175.

0

90

Th

232.

0

91

P a

231.

0

92

U

238.

0

93

N p

(237

)

94

Pu

(244

)

95

Am

(243

)

96

C m

(247

)

97

B k

(247

)

98

C f

(251

)

99

E s

(252

)

100

F m

(257

)

101

Md

(258

)

102

N o

(259

)

103

L r

(260

)

4

Basic Nomenclature 7

Nomenclature Periodic Table1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

IA VIII

A

1

H

1.00

8

IIA

IIIA

IVA

VA

VIA

VII

A

2

H e

4.002

3

L i

6.94

1

4

B e

9.01

2

5

B

10.8

1

6

C

12.0

1

7

N

14.0

1

8

O

16.0

0

9

F

19.0

0

10

N e

20.18

11

N a

22.9

9

12

M g 24.3

0 IIIB IVB VB VIB

VII

B VIII VIII VIII IB IIB

13

Al

26.9

8

14

S i

28.0

9

15

P

30.9

7

16

S

32.0

6

17

C l

35.4

5

18

Ar

39.95

19

K

39.1

0

20

C a

40.0

8

21

Sc 44.9

6

22

Ti

47.9

0

23

V

50.9

4

24

C r

52.0

0

25

Mn

54.9

4

26

F e

55.8

5

27

C o

58.9

3

28

N i

58.7

0

29

Cu

63.5

5

30

Zn

65.3

8

31

G a

69.7

2

32

G e

72.5

9

33

As

74.9

2

34

S e

78.9

6

35

B r

79.9

0

36

K r

83.80

37

R b

85.4

7

38

S r

87.6

2

39

Y

88.9

1

40

Z r

91.2

2

41

N b

92.9

1

42

Mo

95.9

4

43

Tc

(99)

44

Ru

101.

1

45

Rh

102.

9

46

P d

106.

4

47

Ag

107.

9

48

C d

112.

4

49

In

114.

8

50

Sn

118.

7

51

S b

121.

8

52

Te

127.

6

53

I 126.

9

54

X e

131.3

55

C s

132.

9

56

B a

137.

3

57

L a

138.

9

72

H f

178.

5

73

Ta

180.

9

74

W

183.

9

75

R e

186.

2

76

O s

190.

2

77

Ir

192.

2

78

P t

195.

1

79

Au

197.

0

80

H g

200.

6

81

Tl

204.

4

82

P b

207.

2

83

B i

209.

0

84

P o

(209

)

85

At

(210

)

86

Rn

(222)

87

F r

(223

)

88

R a

226.

0

89

Ac

227.

0

104

R f

(261

)

105

D b

(262

)

106

S g

(263

)

107

Bh

(262

)

108

H s

(265)

109

Mt

(266

)

110

D b

(269

)

Lanthanide series

Actinide series

= Type I

Metal

= Type II

Metal

= Type III

Non-metal

= Does not

form

compounds

58

C e

140.

1

59

P r

140.

9

60

N d

144.

2

61

P m

(147

)

62

S m

150.

4

63

Eu

152.

0

64

G d

157.

3

65

Tb

158.

9

66

Dy

162.

5

67

H o

164.

9

68

E r

167.

3

69

Tm

168.

9

70

Y b

173.

0

71

Lu

175.

0

90

Th

232.

0

91

P a

231.

0

92

U

238.

0

93

N p

(237

)

94

Pu

(244

)

95

Am

(243

)

96

C m

(247

)

97

B k

(247

)

98

C f

(251

)

99

E s

(252

)

100

F m

(257

)

101

Md

(258

)

102

N o

(259

)

103

L r

(260

)

Basic Nomenclature 8

Nomenclature: Cation BasicsTo name a cation (or the first element in a Type III

compound): Type I: Use the name of the element; if you are talking

about an ion by itself put ‘ion’ after the name:Na+ = sodium ion; Mg+2 = magnesium ionSpecial cations: NH4

+ = ammonium ion;H3O+ = hydronium ion

Type II: Use the name of the element AND itsoxidation state (or charge); use roman numerals inparentheses to denote this; if you are talking about anion by itself put ‘ion’ after the name:

Cu+2 = copper (II) ion; Cr+6 = chromium (IV) ion Type III : Use the name; denote number of that

element present using greek prefixes (more later)

5

Basic Nomenclature 9

Nomenclature: Anion BasicsTo name a monatomic anion (OR the second element in a

binary Type III compound): For ALL: Take the root name of the element and add

-ide to the end: if you are talking about an ion by itselfput ‘ion’ after the name:

Cl- = chloride ion; S-2 = sulfide ion; P-3 = phosphide ion Type III Compounds ONLY: Add to the name of the

second element a prefix denoting how many of thatelement there are:

XO2 would be “X dioxide”

POLYATOMIC ANIONS: These have their ownnomenclature you need to know

Basic Nomenclature 10

Nomenclature: Polyatomic AnionsLearn these polyatomic anions NOW:

NO3- Nitrate

NO2- Nitrite

OH- HydroxideMnO4

- PermanganateCO3

-2 CarbonateSO4

-2 SulfateSO3

-2 SulfiteC2O4

-2 OxalateCrO4

-2 ChromateCr2O7

-2 DichromateSCN- ThiocyanateCN- CyanideHPO4

-2 Hydrogen PhosphatePO4

-3 Phosphate

HCO3- Hydrogen carbonate

HS- Hydrogen sulfideHSO4

- Hydrogen sulfateHSO3

- Hydrogen sulfiteH2PO4

- Dihydrogen phosphateClO4

- PerchlorateClO3

- ChlorateClO2

- ChloriteClO- HypochloriteBrO3

- BromateBrO2

- BromiteBrO- HypobromiteIO4

- PeriodateIO3

- IodateC2H3O2

- Acetate

6

Basic Nomenclature 11

Nomenclature: Polyatomic AnionsLearn these polyatomic anions NOW:

NO3- Nitrate

NO2- Nitrite

OH- HydroxideMnO4

- PermanganateCO3

-2 CarbonateSO4

-2 SulfateSO3

-2 SulfiteC2O4

-2 OxalateCrO4

-2 ChromateCr2O7

-2 DichromateSCN- ThiocyanateCN- CyanideHPO4

-2 Hydrogen PhosphatePO4

-3 Phosphate

HCO3- Hydrogen carbonate

HS- Hydrogen sulfideHSO4

- Hydrogen sulfateHSO3

- Hydrogen sulfiteH2PO4

- Dihydrogen phosphateClO4

- PerchlorateClO3

- ChlorateClO2

- ChloriteClO- HypochloriteBrO3

- BromateBrO2

- BromiteBrO- HypobromiteIO4

- PeriodateIO3

- IodateC2H3O2

- Acetate

Basic Nomenclature 12

Nomenclature: OxyanionsSystematic nomenclature based on oxoacids of origin;End in -ate or -ite; may have per- or hypo- as prefixes;Learn name, formula, and charge of all -ate ions, then:

a) If an ion has ONE LESS oxygen than the -ate ion, change -ate to-ite (charge does not change!);

b) If an ion has TWO LESS oxygens than the -ate ion, change -ateto -ite and add hypo- as a prefix (charge does not change!);

c) If an ion has ONE MORE oxygen than the -ate ion, add per- as aprefix (charge does not change!).

ClO3 ClO2 ClOClO4

One

more O

One

lessO

Two

less O

chlorateperchlorate chlorite hypochlorite

7

Basic Nomenclature 13

Nomenclature: Type I and II Compounds

Simple: take name of cation and anion andcombine:

CaCl2 = calcium chlorideZnS = zinc sulfide

Ba3(PO4)2 = barium phosphateCrO3 = chromium (VI) oxide

PbI4 = lead (IV) oxideFe2O3 = iron (III) oxide

Basic Nomenclature 14

Determining cation charge for Type II ions• Based on knowing your anions and their

charges!• A compound is neutral and has a charge of

zero.• The sum of all the oxidation states in a

compound must equal the overall charge on theion or molecule.

• Set up and solve for the unknown algebraically;so for Fe2O3:

# irons( ) ! charge of iron( )"# $% + # oxygens( ) ! charge of oxygen( )"# $% = charge of Fe2O3

2x( )"# $% + 3 &2( )( )"# $% = 0; solve to get x = +3

8

Basic Nomenclature 15

Nomenclature: Type III Compounds

1. START by naming as if it were a Type I compound:N2F4: nitrogen fluoride

2. THEN add a greek prefix to tell how MANY of eachelement there are:

N2F4: dinitrogen tetrafluoride* Note: if there is only one of the first element, the

prefix mono is NOT used:SO2 is sulfur dioxide NOT monosulfur dioxide

1 = mono 2 = di 3 = tri 4 = tetra 5 = penta6 = hexa 7 = hepta 8 = octa 9 = nona 10 = deca

Basic Nomenclature 16

Nomenclature: PracticeTry the following:

C2O4

Na2SO3

MgOCrO2

P5O10

AsO3

SeO4

Al2Cr2O7

Mo(CO3)2

Rh(NO3)5

H2ON2O

Give yourself five minutes

9

Basic Nomenclature 17

Nomenclature: PracticeAnswers:

C2O4 dicarbon tetroxideNa2SO3 sodium sulfiteMgO magnesium oxideCrS2 chromium (IV) sulfideP5O10 pentaphosphorous decoxideAsO3 arsenic trioxide

Basic Nomenclature 18

Nomenclature: PracticeAnswers:

SeO4 selenium tetroxideAl2Cr2O7 aluminum dichromateMo(CO3)2 molybdenum (IV) carbonateRh(NO3)5 rhodium (V) nitrateH2O dihydrogen monoxideN2O dinitrogen monoxide

10

Basic Nomenclature 19

Nomenclature: Exceptions (1)1. Some compounds have been known and used for so long

that their trivial (or common names) have becomeaccepted by the IUPAC as official:

H2O = water CH4 = methane PH3 = phosphineNH3 = ammonia SiH4 = silane N2H4 = hydrazine

2. Oxides of some nonmetals will sometimes be named as ifthey were Type II compounds:

P2O5 = phosphorous (V) oxide; SeO4 = selenium (VI) oxide

Note: this is an older system that is slowly being phased out

Basic Nomenclature 20

Nomenclature: Exceptions (2)3. For Type II metals with only two common oxidation states an

older, Latin system was once used; while it is not employedvery often it is useful to know some simple rules regarding it.It is sometimes called the “-ous/-ic” system, where theLOWER charged cation will be denoted by the latin rootname for that element plus -ous and the HIGHER chargedcation will be denoted by the latin root name for that elementplus -ic :

Fe2+ = ferrous ion/Fe3+ = ferric ion; Sn2+ = stannous ion/Sn4+ = stannic ionNot used much but still can be found being employed

4. Compounds containing hydrogen listed as the first element areacids and named differently, as are many carbon compounds.

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Basic Nomenclature 21

Acid NomenclatureAn acid is a compound that contains an acidic

hydrogen (a H that ionizes in water) :

Not all hydrogens are ionizable; by convention, toindicate when one IS, we begin the chemicalformula with it:HC2H3O2 (acetic acid) has four hydrogens but only ONE

is acidic (underlined for emphasis)There are two types of acids: binary and oxoacids

HX(aq)!"! H+(aq) + X

–(aq)

Basic Nomenclature 22

Binary Acid NomenclatureFor BINARY acids (HX(aq), where X does NOT

contain oxygen; it MUST be in aqueous solution);Add hydro…ic acid to the root of the element X:

H2S(aq) = hydrosulfuric acid; HI(aq) = hydroiodic acid;HN3 (aq) = hydrazoic acid

Note: if phase is NOT aqueous, name as if it were a Type Icompound (even though they are considered to bemolecular in nature):

H2S(g) = hydrogen sulfide; HI(g) = hydrogen iodide;HN3 (l) = hydrogen azide

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Basic Nomenclature 23

Oxoacid NomenclatureIf the acid contains oxygen (HOX or HXOn) its name will be a

function of the name of the anion portion (i.e. the portionremaining after all the acidic H’s have been removed: OX- orXOn

-); so:– Determine the anion name;

If the name ends in -ate, replace -ate with -ic acidIf the name ends in -ite, replace -ite with -ous acid

Leave prefixes alone; the root name is sometimes tweaked to aid inpronunciation

H2SO4(aq) → anion is SO4-2 (sulfate) → acid name is sulfuric acid

HClO(aq) → anion is ClO- (hypochlorite) → acid name is hypochlorous acid

Basic Nomenclature 24

Acid Nomenclature: PracticeTry the following:

H2C2O4

H2SO3

HCNH2CrO4

H3PO4

H2Se

HIO4

H2CO3

HFHC2H3O2

HNO3 HNO2

Give yourself five minutes

13

Basic Nomenclature 25

Acid Nomenclature: PracticeAnswers:

H2C2O4 oxalic acidH2SO3 sulfurous acidHCN hydrocyanic acidH2CrO4 chromic acidH3PO4 phosphoric acidH2Se hydroselenic acid

Basic Nomenclature 26

Acid Nomenclature: PracticeAnswers:

HIO4 periodic acidH2CO3 carbonic acidHF hydrofluoric acidHC2H3O2 acetic acidHNO3 nitric acidHNO2 nitrous acid