Ionic Compound Naming Rules

WRITING NAMES

Rule 1:  Just give the name of the cation, then the name of the anion.

-  The ion names are not changed in any way.

-  There are no prefixes involved.

 


WRITING FORMULAS

 
Rule 1:  Write the cation formula first, then the anion formula. 

Rule 2:  No charges are included in the full compound formula. 

Rule 3:  Each ion may have its own subscript (which is separate from any subscripts that may be within the ion formula itself). 

Rule 4:  The values of these subscripts are determined based on how many of each ion is needed in order for the positive and negative charges to balance out.

 


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