The rules for naming chemical compounds are established by nomenclature committees of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

• The name of the positive ion is written before the name of the negative ion.


• The name of the ligand is written before the name of the metal to which it is coordinated.


• The Greek prefixes mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, hexa-, and so on are used to indicate the number of ligands when these ligands are relatively simple. The Greek prefixes bis-, tris-, and tetrakis- are used with more complicated ligands.


• The names of negative ligands always end in o, as in fluoro (F^-), chloro (Cl^-), bromo (Br^-), iodo (I^-), oxo (O^2-), hydroxo (OH^-), and cyano (CN^-).


• A handful of neutral ligands are given common names, such as aquo (H₂O), ammine (NH₃), and carbonyl (CO).


• Ligands are listed in the following order: negative ions, neutral molecules, and positive ions. Ligands with the same charge are listed in alphabetical order.


• The oxidation number of the metal atom is indicated by a Roman numeral in parentheses after the name of the metal atom.


• The names of complexes with a net negative charge end in -ate. Co(SCN)₄^2-, for example, is the tetrathiocyanatocobaltate(II) ion. When the symbol for the metal is derived from its Latin name, -ate is added to the Latin name of the metal. Thus, negatively charged iron complexes are ferrates and negatively charged copper complexes are cuprates.