Naming Molecular Compounds

Chemistry Fun Fact of the Day
 What do these two things have in common?
They are actually both made entirely of the carbon!

Housekeeping
 Hand in Evidence of Learning from Monday & Tuesday

 Handin 2.1 assignments/lab observation sheet if you
haven’t yet
 Open-book quiz today on ionic and molecular naming
 Make sure you have your:
 PERIODIC TABLE (there is one at the back of your text)
 Piece of scrap paper to do work on
Ionic Naming – Let’s Review!
Chemical Formula ->

Chemical Name
1. Look at the chemical
formula. Use the periodic
table to find the element
names.
2. Write the metal’s name
first.
3. Write the non-metal’s
name, and change the
ending to –ide.
SPECIAL CASE: Ions with Multiple
Charges
 Ex. FeCl3
 We can REVERSE CROSS to figure out the name!
FeCl3
3+ 1-
Fe Cl
Since the iron forms a 3+ ion, the name of the compound is Iron(III) Chloride.
Writing Ionic Formulas
1. Write the metal symbol on the left and the non-metal symbol on the write.
2. Find the ionic charges using your periodic table and write them above each
ion.
3. Criss cross the charges, drop the signs, and write them as subscripts.
4. Rewrite the chemical formula. Make sure there are no “1” subscripts and that
it is in simplest terms.
Ex. Aluminum Oxide

SPECIAL CASE: Ions with Multiple
Charges
 Examples are: Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb)
 When writing the formula, look at the NUMBER next to the metal’s name. This
is it’s charge.
 Then continue with your criss cross!
Ex. Lead (II) Chloride

Naming Molecular
Compounds
Miss Elliott, December 2
RECALL: Molecular
Compounds
 Molecular compounds have
COVALENT BONDS which form
between TWO NON-METALS
 In a covalent bond, electrons are
SHARED
 Molecular compounds have the
following properties:
 Solids, liquids and gases at
room temperature
 Lower melting and boiling
points
 Poor conductors of electricity
 Very brittle
Naming Molecular Compounds
 When naming molecular compounds, there are some new rules we have to use.
1. Don’t worry about charges! Molecular compounds do NOT have ions.
2. Use numeric prefixes to specify the number of atoms of each element.
3. Add -ide to the end of the second element.
What are numeric prefixes?
mono 1 penta 5
di 2 hexa 6
tri 3 hepta 7
tetra 4 octa 8
****The prefix mono is only used for the SECOND element
Ex. SO2
 Start with the first element: Sulfur. Remember, the

prefix mono is not used for the first element, and
the ending stays the same.
 The second element is Oxygen. We can change the
ending to –ide. Then, we have to add a prefix. Di
means two atoms.
 Final compound name: Sulfur Dioxide
Ex. N2O5
 The first element is Nitrogen. There are 2

nitrogen atoms, so the prefix is di.
 Thesecond element is oxygen, which will change
endings to oxide. There are 5 oxygen atoms, so
the prefix is penta.
 Thefinal chemical name is: dinitrogen
pentaoxide.
 SO2 Sulfur dioxide
Let’s Practice:
Naming  CCl4
Molecular Carbon tetrachloride
Compounds
 CO Carbon monoxide
Writing Molecular Chemical Formulas
 Since there are no charges, and we use prefixes, going from chemical
name to formula is simple for molecular compounds.
1. Find the element symbols on the periodic table
2. Look at the prefixes to determine the number of atoms of each
element.
3. Write the number of atoms of each element as subscripts in the final
formula.
Example: diphosphorous tetraoxide
 The first element is phosphorous (P), and the second is oxygen (O)
 There are two phosphorous atoms and four oxygen atoms

The chemical formula is: P2O4
What is the chemical formula for carbon
tetrafluoride?
 First Element: Carbon (C)
 Second Element: Fluorine (F)
 There is no prefix in front of carbon, so there is only one carbon atom.
 Fluorine has a prefix of tetra, meaning there are four fluorine atoms.
Final Chemical Formula: CF4

 Nitrogen trifluoride
NF3
Let’s Practice:
Naming
 Carbon monoxide CO
Molecular
Compounds  Phosphorous pentachloride PCl5
Special Cases
 Some very common chemical compounds are referred to by their common
name instead of their chemical name. You should know the following four
chemicals and their formulas:
Common Name Formula Description

Methane CH4 Greenhouse Gas
Water H2O The Universal Solvent
Ozone O3 Creates our ozone layer
Ammonia NH3 Used in cleaners and fertilizers
More
Practice!
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Chemistry Fun Fact of the Day

 What do these two things have in common?

They are actually both made entirely of the carbon!

 Hand in Evidence of Learning from Monday & Tuesday

Chemical Formula ->

Ex. Aluminum Oxide

Ex. Lead (II) Chloride

What are numeric prefixes?

 Start with the first element: Sulfur. Remember, the

 The first element is Nitrogen. There are 2

Final Chemical Formula: CF4

Common Name Formula Description

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