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Recognizing and Naming Binary Ionic Compounds

A binary compound is a compound in which only two elements are present.
A binary ionic compound is an ionic compound in which one element present is a metal and
the other element present is a nonmetal.

Naming Binary ionic compounds

The full name of the metallic element is given first, followed by a separate word
containing the stem of the nonmetallic element name and the suffix -ide.
Example,
NaF, start with the name of the metal (sodium), follow it with the stem of the name of the
nonmetal (fluor-), and then add the suffix -ide. The name becomes sodium fluoride.

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It has been assumed that the only behavior allowable for an element is that predicted by
the octet rule. This is a good assumption for nonmetals and for most representative element metals.
However, there are other metals that exhibit a less predictable behavior because they
are able to form more than one type of ion. For example, iron forms both Fe
ions, depending on chemical circumstances.

2+

ions and Fe

3+

Naming compounds that contain metals with variable ionic charges

When naming compounds that contain metals with variable ionic charges, the charge on the
metal ion must be incorporated into the name. This is done by using Roman numerals.
For example, the chlorides of Fe2+ and Fe3+ (FeCl2 and FeCl3, respectively) are named iron
(II) chloride and iron (III) chloride.
Likewise, CuO is named copper (II) oxide.
The charge on the nonmetal ion present (which does not vary) can be used to calculate the
charge on the metal ion if the latter is unknown.

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A periodic table in which the metallic elements that exhibit a fixed ionic
charge are highlighted.

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Ionic compounds that contain fixed-charge metals are the only ones without Roman
numerals in their names.

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Polyatomic Ions
There are two categories of ions: monatomic and polyatomic.
A monatomic ion is an ion formed from a single atom through loss or gain of electrons
(Cl-, Na+, Ca2+, N3-, and so on).
A polyatomic ion is an ion formed from a group of atoms (held together by covalent bonds)
through loss or gain of electrons.
An example of a polyatomic ion is the sulfate ion, SO42-. This ion contains four oxygen atoms
and one sulfur atom, and the whole group of five atoms has acquired a 2- charge. The whole sulfate
group is the ion rather than any one atom within the group. Covalent bonding, discussed in Chapter
5, holds the sulfur and oxygen atoms together.
Note that polyatomic ions are not molecules. They never occur alone as molecules do.
Instead, they are always found associated with ions of opposite charge. Polyatomic ions are
charged pieces of compounds, not compounds. Ionic compounds require the presence of both
positive and negative ions and are neutral overall.

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Learning the names of the common polyatomic ions is a memorization project. There is
no shortcut. The charges and formulas for the various polyatomic ions cannot be easily related to
the periodic table (as was the case for many of the monatomic ions).
The following generalizations concerning polyatomic ion names and charges emerge from
consideration of the ions listed in Table 4.3.

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Chemical Formulas and Names for Ionic Compounds Containing Polyatomic Ions
Chemical formulas for ionic compounds that contain polyatomic ions are determined in the
same way as those for ionic compounds that contain monatomic ions.
The positive and negative charges present must add to zero.
Two conventions not encountered previously in chemical formula writing often arise when writing
chemical formulas containing polyatomic ions.

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The rule for naming binary ionic compounds is as follows: Give the name of the metallic
element first (including, when needed, a Roman numeral indicating ion charge), and then give a

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separate word containing the stem of the nonmetallic name and the suffix -ide. Modification
of this binary naming rule to accommodate polyatomic ions is as follows:

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