The naming of Chemical Compounds

Every compound has a specific name. It is ideal for this name to reflect its composition and maybe some of its characteristics. They are also known as systematic names and built on IUPAC rules. While all compounds have systematic names, many are given common or trivial names.

The naming of Chemical Compounds

The Old, Classic, or Common Way of Naming

Because some elements form Cations with different positive charges and have the names given to Ionic compounds made from these elements, they need to have some kind of indication of the charge of the cation. The old method employs the suffixes ‘ous’ and ‘ic’ to indicate the higher and lower charges and vice versa. For the case of copper and iron, Latin terms for the element are utilised (ferrous/ferric or cuprous/cupric). The system is still in use. However, the Stock method has officially replaced it, which is a more accurate though slightly cumbersome system. In both systems, the names of anions begin with the letter -ide.

The Stock Method of Naming

A compound ionic is identified initially by the cation and the anion. The anion has similar names to the element. For example, K+1 can be known as the potassium ion the same way K is referred to as the potassium atom. 

An anion’s name is determined by using an elemental name, eliminating the ending, and adding “-ide.” For example, F-1 is called fluoride because of the elemental name fluorine. In this case, the “-ine” was removed and substituted with “-ide.” The cation’s name and the anion’s name are added together to name the compound. For instance, NaF is also known as sodium fluoride.

If the cation, or anion, was one of the polyatomic ions, the name of the polyatomic ion is applied to its name for the entire compound. The name for the polyatomic ion stays the same. For instance, Ca(NO3)2 is called calcium Nitrate.

In the case of cations that have many charges (typically Transition metals). The charge is written in Roman numerals enclosed in parentheses following the element’s name. For instance, Cu(NO3)2 is copper (II) nitrate because the charge of 2 on Nitrate ions (NO3-1). Because the charge net for the compound has to be zero, the Cu ion has a positive charge. The compound is, therefore, copper (II) Nitrate. The Roman numerals are actually the oxidation number. However, this will always be identical to the metal’s charge ionic for simple Ionic compounds.

Now, let us see how to name a chemical compound

Is it a Molecular Compound or an Ionic Compound?

• It is Ionic when it contains an element of metal (it lies in the middle of the period table and on the left).

• It is Molecular when it contains two nonmetals (elements located on the right side of the periodic table).

Incorporate an “ide” at the last part of the name of the compound.

• For both molecular and ionic compounds, alter the names of the second compound to ensure it ends with “ide”.

Check if you require Roman numbers

• Verify whether there is a transition metal for the Ionic Compound that turns into a multivalent ion (AKA when it is located in between the periodic table elements but you aren’t able to determine its value).

• In the case of Ionic Compounds with transition metals, you must add an ionic numeral following that metal’s name to identify the charge for the transition metal.

• For example, FeCl is Iron (I) Chloride, and FeCl2 is Iron (II) Chloride.

• Consider what the metal’s charge needs to be to counter the charge of nonmetals.

Check if you require prefixes

• Because there aren’t any charge ions to balance in molecular compounds, you need to use prefixes. For example: N2O5 = dinitrogen pentoxide.

• The first thing to note is that there is no need to mention “mono”.

For example, CO is carbon monoxide (not monocarbon monoxide).

Chemical Nomenclature

The main purpose of chemical names is to guarantee that the written or spoken chemical name does not create confusion about the chemical compound the name is referring to. Each chemical name should refer to one specific substance. 

Nowadays, scientists use chemical names to refer to them using their common names. For instance, water is not usually known as dihydrogen oxide. It is nevertheless essential to identify and identify all chemicals in a standard manner. IUPAC has developed the most commonly accepted form of nomenclature.

Molecular compounds are formed when two or more components share electrons through a covalent bond that connects the elements. In general, non-metals are more likely to share electrons, forming covalent bonds and, as a result, they form molecular compounds.

Conclusion

Chemical compounds are created when two elements are joined via chemical bonds. The bonds can be so powerful that they behave like an individual substance. Compounds possess characteristics that are distinct from the elements they’re made of. 

A compound is a form of molecule made up of multiple elements. To determine the first word, we must use an element’s name, the initial element or the element that is right of the formula. To create the second word, we must use the names of elements. We alter that suffix “ide” at the end of the word.