IUPAC OF INORGANIC COMPOUNDS

Rules
1. While writing more electronegative atom is written on the right hand side, but while naming the
order is reversed; so for common salt:
NaCl Sodium chloride
2. Complexes are generally made up of two parts:
a. Cationic part
b. Anionic part
The rule 1 is followed here also i.e. cationic part is named before the anionic part
3. ENDING OF COMPLEX NAME:
a. Name of complexes is given in such way that the if the complex is cationic its name ends as
usual
i.
b. If anionic it ends in ‘-ate’
i.
c. Sometimes special names have to be given for some negative complexes which have metal
atoms, that have their names from Latin origin, like:
i. [Ag(CN)2]— dicyano argentate(I)
ii. Fe ferrate
iii. Cu cuprate
iv. Sn stannate
v. Au aurate
vi. Pb plumbate
vii. Sb antimonate (stibumate)
viii. Hg mercurate (hydrargyrate)
ix. W tungstate (wolframate)
d. If neutral it remains once again as usual
i.
4. LIGANDS:
a. Ligands are the chemical species donate electron pair to the CMA in order to bond with the
same
b. Ligands can be +ve, -ve or neutral
i. Positive ligands: ending of names of +ve ligands is ‘-ium’:
NH2NH3+ hydrazinium
+
NO nitrosonium
NO2+ nitronium
ii. Negative ligands: ending of names of –ve ligands is ‘-ido’ ‘-ato’ or ‘-ito’ etc:
Cl— chlorido
CN— cyanido
—
NO3 nitrato
—
SO4 sulfato (sulphato)*
CO32— carbonato (trioxocarbonato)
—
CH3COO acetato
—
NH2 amido
NH2— imido
—
OH hydroxido
2—
O2 peroxo
C2O42— oxalato
NO2— nitrito—N [N donor]
—
ONO nitrito—O [O donor]
NCS— thiocyanato—N [N donor]
 SCN— thiocyanato—S [S donor]

iii. Neutral ligands:

H2 O aqua
NH3 ammine
CO carbonyl
NO nitrosyl
(CH2NH2)2 ethylenediamine (en)
(C6H5)3P triphenylphosphine
C6H5N pyridine
c. They can also be classified according to their coordination sites
i. Monodentate
1. water
2. ammonia
3. pyridine
4. ethylene diamine
5. glycinate
6. acetylacetonate
ii. bidentate
1. oxalate
2. dimethylglyoximate
3. 2,2’ dipyridyl
4. 1,10 phenanthroline
iii. tridentate
1. diethylene triamine
2. iminodiacetate
3. 2,2’,2’’ terpyridine
iv. tetradentate
1. triethylenetetraamine
v. pentadentate
1. ethylenediaminetriacetate
vi. hexadentate
1. ethylenediaminetetraacetate