The first step in naming ionic compounds is to write down the metal or ammonium ion, which is commonly referred to as the casion. Next, write down the name of the anion or the nonmetal or polyatomic ion. Decide whether it is possible for the metal to have more than one change and, if so, place a Roman numeral after its name to denote the change.
To name a binary covalent compound, start by writing down the name of the first element. Decide whether the symbol is then followed by a subscript of two or more and, if so, denote the appropriate prefix followed by the root of the name of the second element that has an "-ide" ending. Denote the number of the second element by using the appropriate prefix.
A binary acid is a form of inorganic acid that dissociates into hydrogen atoms and the anions in water. A monoprotic acid is a binary acid that can release only one hydrogen atom. Polyprotic acid is a binary acid that can release more than one hydrogen atom. Naming binary acids is as simple as placing "hydro" at the beginning and "ic acid" at the end of the anion name.
In addition to the binary acid, the ternary acid is yet another form of an inorganic acid. The ternary acids are also commonly referred to as oxyacids. An oxyacid is formed by the combination of hydrogen, oxygen and one of a host of (usually) nonmetallic elements. The ternary acid names are based on the name of the anion. The suffixes of the anions that end in "-ate" and "-ite" are replaced with "-ic" and "-ous," respectively, and followed with the word acid to complete the name.