Naming Compounds and Molecules
Naming compounds falls into two basic systems for inorganic compounds based upon the type of bonding that occurs. Another system is used to describe organic compounds, but won't be used here.
You can quickly name a substance from its molecular formula using the following flowchart.
Make sure you know the prefixes 1 through 10 involved in naming molecules.
| Number of Atoms |
Prefix |
|
Number of Atoms |
Prefix |
|
1 |
Mono |
|
6 |
Hex |
| 2 |
Di |
|
7 |
Hept |
|
3 |
Tri |
|
8 |
Oct |
| 4 |
Tetra |
|
9 |
Nona |
|
5 |
Penta |
|
10 |
dec |
Practice matching the names of compounds with their formula here.
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Match the chemical formula with the name of the compound. Drag the items from the bottom to the slots on the right. |
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