Chemical Nomenclature:

There are over 19 million known chemical substances. Without some type of system, naming these substances would be hopelessly complicated.

The system used in naming substances is called chemical nomenclature.

There are two major divisions to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) system:

• organic nomenclature
• inorganic nomenclature

Organic compounds contain carbon, usually in combination with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.

All other substances are inorganic compounds, divided into two basic categories:

• molecular compounds
   
• ionic compounds
   
  • acids
     
  • bases
     
  • salts