Naming Ionic Compounds : examples
Revised July 13, 2013 Dr. Walt Volland all rights reserved

 

The names for ionic compounds are built from the cation and anion names.You are familiar with the name for NaCl, sodium chloride. The name for the formula results from deleting the word "ion" for the compound.

This name is formed from the names for the two ions and the word "ion" is deleted.
sodium ion
chloride ion
Na1+
Cl1-
sodium ion chloride ion
sodium chloride
NaCl
 

Example:

What is the name for Na2O?

sodium ion
oxide ion
Na1+
O2-
sodium ion oxide ion
sodium oxide
Na2O
 

Example:

What is the name for Ca3N2?

calcium ion
nitride ion
Ca2+
N3-
calcium ion nitride ion
calcium nitride
Ca3N2

Example:

What is the name for NaHCO3?

sodium ion
bicarbonate ion
Na1+
HCO3 1-
sodium ion bicarbonate ion
sodium bicarbonate
NaHCO3