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11.10: Naming Compounds

Last updated

Jul 16, 2024
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- 11.9: Intermolecular Forces
- 12: Physical Properties

Jamie MacArthur
Madera Community College

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Learning Objectives

Correctly name a covalent compound.

We have discussed many kinds of compounds and the bonds that hold them together. The rules for naming ionic compounds are a bit involved, so we won't cover them in this text. Instead we will focus only on the methods to name covalent compounds.

To name simple covalent compounds, follow these rules:

Start with the name of the element closer to the left side of the periodic table.
Follow this with the name of element closer to the right of the periodic table. Give this second name the suffix –ide.
Use prefixes to represent the numbers of the different atoms in each molecule of the compound. The most commonly used prefixes are shown in the Table below.

Table $\PageIndex{1}$

Naming and Writing Formulas for Covalent Compounds
Number	Prefix
1	mono- (or none)
2	di-
3	tri-
4	tetra-
5	penta-
6	hexa-

Exercise $\PageIndex{1}$

What is the name of the compound that contains three oxygen atoms and two nitrogen atoms?

Answer: The compound is named dinitrogen trioxide. Nitrogen is named first because it is farther to the left in the periodic table than oxygen. Oxygen is given the -ide suffix because it is the second element named in the compound. The prefix di- is added to nitrogen to show that there are two atoms of nitrogen in each molecule of the compound. The prefix tri- is added to oxygen to show that there are three atoms of oxygen in each molecule.

In the chemical formula for a covalent compound, the numbers of the different atoms in a molecule are represented by subscripts. For example, the formula for the compound named carbon dioxide is CO₂.

Exercise $\PageIndex{2}$

What is the chemical formula for dinitrogen trioxide?

Answer: The chemical formula is N₂O₃.

Section Summary

A few rules can be applied to name simple covalent compounds: name the left-most element in the periodic table first, add -ide to the second named element, and use prefixes for the numbers of atoms.

Learning Objectives

Exercise 11.10.1\PageIndex{1}

Exercise 11.10.2\PageIndex{2}

Section Summary

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Exercise $\PageIndex{1}$

Exercise $\PageIndex{2}$