Naming Binary Compounds

Naming Binary Compounds

A binary compound contains only two kinds of atoms.

Naming:

1) metal + nonmetal

a) name the metal

b) use the stem of the name of the nonmetal; add "-ide"

Example: KCl -- potassium chloride

(K is the metal; Cl is the nonmetal)

Na₂S -- sodium sulfide

(Na is the metal; S is the nonmetal)

2) nonmetal + nonmetal

a) name the first element

b) use the stem of the second element; add '-ide"

c) precede each name with a prefix to indicate the number of each kind of atom.

Example: N₂O₄ -- dinitrogen tetroxide SO₃ -- sulfur trioxide

Naming Binary Compounds - Prefixes Used for Two Non-metals

Prefix Example