1. Ionic compounds are formed from the combination of cations and anions. Cations are positively charged ions, usually metals, while anions are negatively charged, usually nonmetals.
2. To name ionic compounds, the cation is written first followed by the anion with the "-ide" ending. Transition metals may have multiple oxidation states requiring a Roman numeral to be included.
3. To determine the oxidation state of a transition metal, the charges of the cation and anion must balance out to zero. This can involve using subscripts or recognizing the set charge of common polyatomic ions.