Nomenclature Packet and Worksheets With KEY
Nomenclature Packet and Worksheets With KEY
Nomenclature Packet and Worksheets With KEY
If every substance were assigned a common name, chemists would be expected to memorize over nine million
names! This is why chemists generally prefer systematic names for identifying compounds. The International
Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC, see http://www.iupac.com) was founded in 1921 to provide a
system of chemical nomenclature for scientists. IUPAC nomenclature rules can provide valuable structural and
reactivity information. On the other hand, most people would be hard pressed to call dihydrogen monoxide by
any other name but water, so both types of nomenclature have their place.
Nomenclature leads naturally to formula writing. Compounds exist in distinct combinations of elements, and
knowing the proper combinations of elements is essential in chemistry. We expect sodium chloride to be NaCl
and not Na2Cl or NaCl2; knowing which combination or combinations exist in nature is crucial.
The following sections will guide you through the rules of inorganic nomenclature and formula writing. Later
you may experience the nomenclature for organic chemistry or transition metal chemistry, but most of the
compounds observed in first year chemistry will fall in this category.
The first step in learning nomenclature is to learn the names of the elemental ions you might see in compounds.
We make a distinction between the following:
• fixed charge cations (metal positive ions from groups IA, IIA and all of IIIA except Tl)
• variable charge cations (positive ions which do not have a fixed charge; this includes all transition
metals, lanthanides, actinides, Tl, Pb, Sn, and Bi)
• anions (negative ions which are generally nonmetals)
Why two types of cations? Many metals have, for all practical purposes, only one ionic charge observed in
nature. Lithium is only observed as Li+ naturally, and even though gas phase studies of lithium ions have
produced Li2+ and even Li- ions, they are not observed in most settings. Many metals (such as iron) have many
different oxidation states or ionic charges associated with them. The ions Fe2+, Fe3+ and Fe6+ can be observed
and manipulated quite readily (even at Mt. Hood Community College!); therefore, we need a method to
distinguish between the various ions (namely iron(II), iron(III) and iron(VI), respectively).
Anions use their elemental name with the ending changed to -ide.
Certain combinations of atoms result in stable configurations that are not easily destroyed; these are called
polyatomic ions. Polyatomic ions can be either positive or negative, but most of them are anions (i.e. they have
a negative charge.) Recognizing polyatomic ions in formulas is one of the most difficult concepts to master
when learning nomenclature, and it is very important that you memorize the following list of polyatomic ions.
Knowing the nomenclature rules for ions, we can begin the naming of ionic compounds. Ionic compounds
involve a cation (either fixed or variable charge) combining with an anion. Naming ionic compounds is
straightforward; simply combine the ionic names with the cation first followed by the anion.
Another important concept to master is the ability to write a chemical formula using the compound's systematic
name. This can be accomplished using the following protocol:
1. Identify the elemental ions and/or polyatomic ions in the compound using the systematic name.
2. Determine the magnitude of the ionic charge on each ion
3. Assume the compound is electrically neutral unless the term "ion" appears in the name
4. The sum of the cation charges plus the anion charges must equal zero; combine the ions until this
condition is met
5. Write the resulting formula. If more than one polyatomic ion is present, write the polyatomic
portion in parentheses with a subscript after it denoting the number of polyatomic ions present.
Determining the systematic name of a compound from its formula is straightforward using these steps:
1. Identify the cation and anion in the formula. Watch for polyatomic ions.
2. Assume the compound is electrically neutral unless a charge appears in the formula
3. Determine the name of the anion and the charge on the anion
4. If a fixed charge cation is present, determine its name.
5. If a variable charge cation is present, determine its name and use this formula to find the charge on
the metal: chargemetal = - (# anions)(chargeanion) / (# metal cations) (where # = "number of")
6. Combine the cation and anion names as per Part C. The cation goes first, followed by the anion; do
not forget the Roman numeral charge in parentheses for variable charge cations.
The simplest covalent compounds are the elements that exist naturally in pairs; we refer to them as diatomics.
These are crucial to a successful chemistry experience, and memorization is straightforward using the following
acronym:
In addition to the diatomics, two other nonmetals exist naturally in elemental form as combinations of more
than one atom. Phosphorus exists naturally as P4, and sulfur exists as S8.
Most nonmetal covalent compounds have more than one type of element. Since there is no ionic charge present
in these molecules, we cannot use the system developed above for ionic compounds, and a new method must be
used. We will use the Greek prefixes for our compounds; they are:
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1 mono 6 hexa
2 di 7 hepta
3 tri 8 octa
4 tetra 9 nona
5 penta 10 deca
The Greek prefixes refer to the number of atoms present in the molecule. For example, "dinitrogen" implies
two nitrogen atoms since the prefix di stands for two.
When writing systematic names for binary nonmetal covalent compounds, use the least electronegative atom
first. The topic of electronegativity will be discussed in Chem 222, but for now, the element listed first (either
in the formula or the name) will be the least electronegative element.
Just as with cations in ionic compounds, use the normal element name for the least electronegative element. If
more than one exist, use the Greek symbols to represent how many. The most electronegative element receives
an -ide ending (as with anions in ionic compounds) as well as a Greek prefix, even for single elements. This is
an important distinction between the most and least electronegative elements in binary compounds: the least
electronegative element uses Greek symbols only if two or more atoms are present, while the more
electronegative element gets an -ide ending and a Greek prefix regardless of the number of atoms present.
In addition, there are several common names of binary covalent compounds that you should be familiar with
including the following:
Acid and base theory shall be discussed in detail during CH 223, but recognizing common acids and bases is
important for all chemists. Acids and bases require water to become active; hence, Part G assumes all of the
compounds mentioned have been dissolved in water.
Acids contain H+, the hydrogen ion. Acids are created when hydrogen ions combine with halogens. If no
oxygen atoms are present, add the hydro- prefix and an -ic acid suffix to find the acid name.
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Examples: HCl hydrochloric acid
HBr hydrobromic acid
HI hydroiodic acid
If oxygen atoms are present in the halogen acid, use the following table:
More assistance with naming acids can be found in the handout, “Guide to Common Polyatomic Ions and the
Corresponding Acids” available in the CH 221 Companion or on the CH 221 website.
One final note about acids: technically, an acid is only an acid if dissolved in water (i.e. if aqueous, with an aq
state. If not in water, the acidic properties are lost (at least for CH 221!), and the compound should probably be
written as either a binary nonmetal covalent molecule (Section F) or, if the acid contains a polyatomic ion, as a
fixed charge metal with a nonmetal. Consider the following examples:
HCl(aq) hydrochloric acid This is truly an acid since HCl is dissolved in water
HCl(g) hydrogen monochloride This is not an acid - no water! - so name this compound as
a covalent compound
HNO2(aq) nitrous acid This is a true acid, dissolved in water
HNO2(g) hydrogen nitrite This is not an acid - no water! - so name this compound as
a fixed charge metal + nonmetal due to the
polyatomic ion (nitrite) present
If a designation of state (i.e. aqueous, gas, solid, etc.) is not provided, then the naming system used is up to the
observer (i.e. take your pick! )
Bases contain OH-, the hydroxide ion. Bases consist of a metal cation with the hydroxide anion; hence, their
nomenclature will be similar to that of Parts C, D and E, above.
Understanding chemical nomenclature rules and being able to write formulas for compounds can be thought of
as learning to read and write a language. At first, the symbols and rules do not make much sense, but as time
progresses, you master the language and a moment of euphoric inspiration occurs when "it all falls into place."
Regrettably, inspiration only occurs after time has been spent practicing the material. The more you practice,
the faster you will master the material.
Each has specific rules to learn and master. Determining the charge of variable charge cations can be difficult
at first, but application of the formulas in Part D and Part E should alleviate the distress.
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Nomenclature & Formula Writing Worksheet Name:
Write the ions that you would expect from the following compounds
Complete the chart using the appropriate compound name using the ions given. The first row has been filled in
as an example.
Name Formula
_________________________ HIO3(aq)
_________________________ HCN(aq)
_________________________ Mg(OH)2
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Section Eight: Combined Problems
Complete the chart by providing either the correct formula or name.
Name Formula
__________________ HCl(aq)
__________________ HCl(g)
__________________ N2O4
__________________ LiClO3
__________________ FeSO4
__________________ SO3
__________________ (NH4)2CO3
__________________ P4O10
__________________ TbBr6
__________________ ThBr3
__________________ TlBr
__________________ TiBr4
__________________ TeBr2
__________________ In(C2H3O2)3
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Nomenclature & Formula Writing Worksheet Name: Section Two: Iens from Formulas
Section One: Ion Names Write the ions that you would expect from the following compounds
Complete the chart using the appropriate elemental ion or polyatomic ion name or symbol. The first row has
been filled in as an example. Example: NaCl would give: Na*, Cr
antimony trichloride
vite
N 4 Ou
aahueameptr cy
(Awa Tyegen
I ir of (Ar N203