When naming a binary ionic compound how do you determine which element's name first

Answer 1

When naming a binary ionic compound, the cation (positively charged ion) is named first followed by the anion (negatively charged ion). In general, the cation is typically a metal or a positively charged polyatomic ion, while the anion is typically a nonmetal or a negatively charged polyatomic ion.

For example, in the compound NaCl (sodium chloride), sodium is the cation and chloride is the anion. Therefore, the name of the compound is "sodium chloride".

Another example is the compound K2O (potassium oxide), where potassium is the cation and oxide is the anion. Hence, the compound is named "potassium oxide".

In summary, when naming a binary ionic compound, the cation's name comes first followed by the anion's name.