Quick Recap — IUPAC Nomenclature

  • Order in the name: ligands (alphabetical) then metal; cation named before anion.
  • Anionic complex takes the suffix -ate (ferrate, cuprate, aluminate, platinate).
  • Ligand names: aqua (H2OH_2O), ammine (NH3NH_3), carbonyl (CO), chlorido (ClCl^-), cyanido (CNCN^-), hydroxido (OHOH^-).
  • Oxidation state is shown as a Roman numeral in parentheses; homoleptic = one kind of ligand, heteroleptic = more than one.