Naming Compounds

An ionic compound is named first by its cation and then by its anion.

Molecular compounds are named using a systematic approach of prefixes to indicate the number of each element present in the compound.

Acid names are based on the anion they form when dissolved in water; base names follow the rules for ionic, organic, or molecular compounds.

The name of a hydrate follows a set pattern: the name of the ionic compound followed by a numerical prefix and the suffix -hydrate.

Familiar inorganic and organic compounds are often known by their common, or "trivial," names.