What are some common mistakes students make when naming ionic compounds?

Mostly students want to name as if they were , using prefixes in place of the subscripts. In other words, ##Al_2O_3## is incorrectly named dialuminum trioxide, or aluminum trioxide instead of of the correct ionic compound name of Aluminum oxide. The charges on the aluminum cation and the oxide anion will help us predict the correct formula of the ionic compound so the prefixes are not needed.

Here is a video which discusses some common errors and how to avoid them! video from: Noel Pauller