Introduction

Please pass the salt!



B5.1 Salt shaker
Would you use this salt on your fries? I hope not! The compound in the container is actually copper(II) sulfate. The term “salt” is a generic term that refers to a chemical compound consisting of an assembly of cations and anions. I think you meant to say, please pass the table salt, or according to IUPAC rules, please pass the sodium chloride! In the previous lesson, you looked at why a system is needed to name compounds. In this lesson, you will learn about the IUPAC rules used to name ionic compounds.

  Targets

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to

  • write formulas for and name, using IUPAC rules, binary ionic compounds
  • write formulas for and name, using IUPAC rules, multivalent ionic compounds
  • write formulas for and name, using IUPAC rules, ionic compounds that contain polyatomic ions
  • write formulas for and name, using IUPAC rules, hydrated ionic compounds

  Watch This

Formulae of Ionic Compounds & Their Names – Part 1 @ YouTube FuseSchool – Global Education 


This is a simple introduction to the basic principles for writing formulas and naming simple binary ionic compounds. There are a few differences to keep in mind.

  1. In the modified Bohr diagrams they use, they place the electrons separate in the first energy level.

  2. At times, they place two electrons in one orbital.

  3. Compound names should not be capitalized.
 

Ionic Bonding of lithium fluoride and potassium oxide @ YouTube FuseSchool – Global Education


Need a few more examples? Here are examples for two more ionic compounds. There are a few differences to keep in mind.

  1. In the modified Bohr diagrams they use, they place the electrons separate in the first energy level.

  2. At times they place two electrons in one orbital.

  3. Compound names should not be capitalized.