Naming compounds and writing chemical formulas

IUPAC naming rules help chemists name compounds and write their formulas clearly and consistently. An ionic compound is named cation first, then anion, with a single-element anion ending in -ide: NaCl is sodium chloride. Metals that can form more than one ion use a Roman numeral for the charge, as in iron(III) oxide, Fe2O3, and polyatomic ions keep their own names, as in sodium sulfate, Na2SO4. An ionic formula balances the charges: calcium (2+) and chloride (1-) combine as CaCl2. Covalent (molecular) compounds use prefixes to show how many atoms of each element there are, as in carbon dioxide, CO2, and dinitrogen tetroxide, N2O4. Common acids and bases have their own names, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), nitric acid (HNO3), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH).

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