2. Purpose
• Now that we know what ions are and how to combine ions to make
compounds, we need to know how to properly name them.
3. Naming ionic compounds
• Ionic compounds are simply a combination of the name of the metal and
the name of the non-metal ion ending in –ide
– Example: Combination of Na+ and N3- ion.
• Formula = Na3N
• Name = sodium nitride
4. Misconception alert
• Some students want to name Na3N trisodium nitride or some other
variation. For ionic compounds, we do not use prefixes such as tri-. They
are unnecessary. Na3N is simply sodium nitride.
5. Ionic compounds from names
• When generating an ionic compound from a name it is important to
always remember to first determine the charges of the ions, then balance
them out as you did in the previous lesson.
– e.g. Calcium phosphide
• Ions: Ca2+ and P3-
• Formula to balance charges: Ca3P2
6. Pause and Practice
• What are the names of the following ionic compounds?
– Li2S
– CaCl2
• What are the formulas of the following ionic compounds?
– Magnesium oxide
– Potassium nitride
7. Pause and Practice
• What are the names of the following ionic compounds?
– Li2S – lithium sulfide
– CaCl2 – calcium chloride
• What are the formulas of the following ionic compounds?
– Magnesium oxide
• Mg2+ and O2-
• MgO
– Potassium nitride
• K+ and N3-
• K3N
