Nomenclature: Naming Compounds

• Chemists have developed systematic ways to name compounds.
• If you learn the naming rules, you can examine a compound’s formula and determine its name, and vice versa.
• Many compounds also have a common name.
• H2O has the common name water and the systematic name dihydrogen monoxide.
• Since water is such a familiar compound, everyone uses its common name, water, and not its systematic name.
• Common names can be learned only through familiarity; there is no system.