IUPAC Nomenclature

The IUPAC system of naming is different from the common system, because it uses a series of prefixes and suffixes to name a certain compound. This system is also highly favored because its way of naming compounds is not only easier to understand and unambiguous, but it is also usually shorter than the common way. The IUPAC system's uses include naming binary compounds between a metal and nonmetal, naming binary compounds between two nonmetals, naming polyatomic ions, and naming acids and bases. To name binary compounds between a metal and a nonmetal, there are two different methods the IUPAC system uses. Type one is used for naming metals that form only one cation. In this method, the cation is named first, and it is simply the basic name of the element. Named second is the anion which uses the root of the element's name plus the suffix -ide. Type two is used for naming compounds in which the cation can have several different charges. So, the cation is still named first but directly after it there is a Roman numeral that tells which charge is being used on it. After that, the anion is named the exact same way as type one. Next, the IUPAC system is used to name binary compounds between two nonmetals. These compounds are known as type three compounds. This method is also very similar to that of types one and two. The cation is named first again and the anion second with an -ide suffix. However, both words may have prefixes that tell how many atoms of that element are in one molecule of the specified compound. The only exception to this is that the cation never uses the prefix mono-. After that, the IUPAC system is used for naming polyatomic ions. Polyatomic ions are charged entities composed of several atoms bound together. But the only way to name them is to memorize them because they do not follow any rules. Naming ionic compounds that contain polyatomic ions, however, is similar to that of binary compounds. First, name the cation and then