Naming Covalents

Rules for naming simple covalent compounds:

1. Name the non-metal furthest to the left on the periodic table by its elemental name.

2. Name the other non-metal by its elemental name and an -ide ending.

3. Use the prefixes mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, hexa-,hepta-, octa-, to indicate the number of that element in the molecule.

4. If mono is the first prefix, it is understood and not written