Category I—Binary Ionic Compounds
Category I binary ionic compounds are metallic ions from groups 1 and 2 of the
Periodic Table. These metallic ions have only one type of charge. The binary
ionic compounds formed are composed of a positive ion (cation) that is written
first and a negative ion (anion). The following rules show how to name and write
the formulas for binary ionic compounds. CaCl 2 is used as an example.
- Name the cation first and then the anion.
- The monoatomic (one-atom) cation takes its name from the name of the