IUPAC Nomenclature

The IUPAC nomenclature of organic chemistry is a systematic method of naming organic chemical compounds as recommended by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Ideally, every possible organic compound should have a name from which an unambiguous structural formula can be drawn. There is also an IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry. See also phanes nomenclature of highly complex cyclic molecules.

For ordinary communication, to spare a tedious description, the official IUPAC naming recommendations are not always followed in practice except when it is necessary to give a concise definition to a compound, or when the IUPAC name is simpler (e.g. ethanol against ethyl alcohol). Otherwise the common or trivial name may be used, often derived from the source of the compound.

Basic principles

In chemistry, a number of prefixes, suffixes and infixes are used to describe the type and position of functional groups in the compound.

The steps to naming an organic compound are:

1. Identify the parent hydrocarbon chain. This chain must follow the following rules, in order of precedence:
   1. It should have maximum substituents of the suffix functional group. By suffix, it is meant that the parent functional group should have a suffix, unlike halogen substituents. If more than one functional group is present, use the one with highest precedence as shown here.
   2. It should have maximum number of multiple bonds
   3. It should have maximum number of double bonds.
   4. It should have the maximum length.
2. Identify the parent functional group, if any, with the highest order of precedence.
3. Identify the side-chains. Side chains are the carbon chains that are not in the parent chain, but are branched off from it.
4. Identify the remaining functional groups, if any, and name them by the name of their ions (such as hydroxy for -OH, oxy for =O , oxyalkane for O-R, etc.).
   Different side-chains and functional groups will be grouped together in alphabetical order. (The prefixes di-, tri-, etc. are not taken into consideration for grouping alphabetically. For example, ethyl comes before dihydroxy or dimethyl, as the "e" in "ethyl" precedes the "h" in "dihydroxy" and the "m" in "dimethyl" alphabetically. The "di" is not considered in either case). In the case of there being both side chains and secondary functional groups, they should be written mixed together in one group rather than in two separate groups.
5. Identify double/triple bonds.
6. Number the chain. To number the chain, first number in both directions (left to right and right to left), and then choose the numbering which follows these rules, in order of precedence:
   1. Has the lowest locant (or locants) for the suffix functional group. Locants are the numbers on the carbons to which the substituent is directly attached.
   2. Has the lowest locants for multiple bonds (The locant of a multiple bond is the number of the adjacent carbon with a lower number).
   3. Has the lowest locants for double bonds
   4. Has the lowest locants for prefixes.
7. Number the various substituents and bonds with their locants. If there is more than one of the same type of substituent/double bond, add the prefix (di-, tri-, etc.) before it. The numbers for that type of side chain will be grouped in ascending order and written before the name of the side-chain. If there are two side-chains with the same alpha carbon, the number will be written twice. Example: 2,2,3-trimethyl- . If there are both double bonds and triple bonds, write the "ene" before the "yne". In case the main functional group is a terminal functional group (A group which can only exist at the end of a chain, like formyl and carboxyl groups), there is no need to number it.
8. Arrange everything like this: Group of side chains and secondary functional groups with numbers made in step 3 + prefix of parent hydrocarbon chain (eth, meth) + double/triple bonds with numbers (or "ane") + primary functional group suffix with numbers.
   Wherever it says "with numbers", it is understood that between the word and the numbers, you use the prefix(di-, tri-)
9. Add punctuation:
   1. Put commas between numbers (2 5 5 becomes 2,5,5)
   2. Put a hyphen between a number and a letter (2 5 5 trimethylheptane becomes 2,5,5-trimethylheptane)
   3. Successive words are merged into one word (trimethyl heptane becomes trimethylheptane)
      Note: IUPAC uses one-word names throughout. This is why all parts are connected.

The finalized name should look like this:
 #,#-di<side chain>-#-<secondary functional group>-#-<side chain>-#,#,#-tri<secondary functional group><parent chain suffix><If all bonds are single bonds, use "ane">-#,#-di<double bonds>-#-<triple bonds>-#-<primary functional group>
Note: # is used for a number. The group secondary functional groups and side chains may not look the same as shown here, as the side chains and secondary functional groups are arranged alphabetically. The di- and tri- have been used just to show their usage. (di- after #,#, tri- after #,#,# , etc.)

Example:
Here is a sample molecule with the parent carbons numbered:

For simplicity, here is an image of the same molecule, where the hydrogens in the parent chain are removed and the carbons are shown by their numbers:

Now, we go by the steps:

1. The parent hydrocarbon chain has 23 carbons. It is called tricos-.
2. The functional groups with the highest precedence are the two ketone groups.
   1. The groups are on carbon atoms 3 & 9. As there are two, we write 3,9-dione.
   2. The numbering of the molecule is based on the ketone groups. When numbering from left to right, the ketone groups get numbered 3 and 9. When numbering from right to left, the ketone groups get numbered 15 and 21. 3 is less than 15, therefore, the numbering is done left to right, and the ketones are numbered 3 & 9. The lesser number is always used, not the sum of the constituents numbers.
3. The side chains are: an ethyl- at carbon 4, an ethyl- at carbon 8, and a butyl- at carbon 12.
   Note:The -O-CH₃ at carbon atom 15 is not a side chain, but it is a methoxy functional group
   • There are two ethyl- groups, so they are combined to create, 4,8-diethyl.
   • The side chains shall be grouped like this: 12-butyl-4,8-diethyl. (But this is not the final grouping, as functional groups may be added in between.)
4. The secondary functional groups are: a hydroxy- at carbon 5, a chloro- at carbon 11, a methoxy- at carbon 15, and a bromo- at carbon 18. Grouped with the side chains, we get 18-bromo-12-butyl-11-chloro-4,8-diethyl-5-hydroxy-15-methoxy
5. There are two double bonds: one between carbons 6 & 7, and one between carbons 13 & 14. They will be called 6,13-diene. There is one triple bond between carbon atoms 19 & 20. It will be called 19-yne
6. The arrangement (with punctuation) is: 18-bromo-12-butyl-11-chloro-4,8-diethyl-5-hydroxy-15-methoxytricos-6,13-diene-19-yne-3,9-dione

The final name is 18-bromo-12-butyl-11-chloro-4,8-diethyl-5-hydroxy-15-methoxytricos-6,13-diene-19-yne-3,9-dione.

Alkanes

Main article: Alkane

Straight-chain alkanes take the suffix "-ane" and are prefixed depending on the number of carbon atoms in the chain, following standard rules. The first few are:

Number of carbons	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	20	30	40	50
Prefix	Meth	Eth	Prop	But	Pent	Hex	Hept	Oct	Non	Dec	Undec	Dodec	Tridec	Tetradec	Pentadec	Eicos	Triacont	Tetracont	Pentacont

For example, the simplest alkane is CH₄ methane, and the nine-carbon alkane CH₃(CH₂)₇CH₃ is named nonane. The names of the first four alkanes were derived from methanol, ether, propionic acid and butyric acid, respectively. The rest are named with a Greek numeric prefix, with the exceptions of nonane which has a Latin prefix, and undecane and tridecane which have mixed-language prefixes.

Cyclic alkanes are simply prefixed with "cyclo-", for example C₄H₈ is cyclobutane and C₆H₁₂ is cyclohexane.

Branched alkanes are named as a straight-chain alkane with attached alkyl groups. They are prefixed with a number indicating the carbon the group is attached to, counting from the end of the alkane chain. For example, (CH₃)₂CHCH₃, commonly known as isobutane, is treated as a propane chain with a methyl group bonded to the middle (2) carbon, and given the systematic name 2-methylpropane. However, although the name 2-methylpropane COULD be used, it is easier and more logical to call it simply methylpropane - the methyl group could not possibly occur on any of the other carbon atoms (that would lengthen the chain and result in butane, not propane) and therefore the use of the number "2" is not necessary.

If there is ambiguity in the position of the substituent, depending on which end of the alkane chain is counted as "1", then numbering is chosen so that the smallest number is used. For example, (CH₃)₂CHCH₂CH₃ (isopentane) is named 2-methylbutane, not 3-methylbutane.

If there are multiple side-branches of the same size alkyl group, their positions are separated by commas and the group prefixed with di-, tri-, tetra-, etc., depending on the number of branches (e.g. C(CH₃)₄ 2,2-dimethylpropane). If there are different groups, they are added in alphabetical order, separated by commas or hyphens: 3-ethyl-4-methylhexane. The longest possible main alkane chain is used; therefore 3-ethyl-4-methylhexane instead of 2,3-diethylpentane, even though these describe equivalent structures. The di-, tri- etc. prefixes are ignored for the purpose of alphabetical ordering of side chains (e.g. 3-ethyl-2,4-dimethylpentane, not 2,4-dimethyl-3-ethylpentane).

Alkenes and Alkynes

Main articles: Alkenes and Alkynes

Alkenes are named for their parent alkane chain with the suffix "-ene" and an infixed number indicating the position of the double-bonded carbon in the chain: CH₂=CHCH₂CH₃ is but-1-ene. Multiple double bonds take the form -diene, -triene, etc., with the size prefix of the chain taking an extra "a": CH₂=CHCH=CH₂ is buta-1,3-diene. Simple cis and trans isomers are indicated with a prefixed cis- or trans-: cis-but-2-ene, trans-but-2-ene. More complex geometric isomerisations are described using the Cahn Ingold Prelog priority rules.

Alkynes are named using the same system, with the suffix "-yne" indicating a triple bond: ethyne (acetylene), propyne (methylacetylene).

Functional groups

Main article: Functional group#Table of common functional groups

Alcohols

Main article: Alcohols

Alcohols (R-OH) take the suffix "-ol" with an infix numerical bonding position: CH₃CH₂CH₂OH is propan-1-ol. The suffixes -diol, -triol, -tetraol, etc., are used for multiple -OH groups: Ethylene glycol CH₂OHCH₂OH is ethane-1,2-diol.

If higher precedence functional groups are present (see order of precedence, below), the prefix "hydroxy" is used with the bonding position: CH₃CHOHCOOH is 2-hydroxypropanoic acid.

Halogens (alkyl halides)

Main article: Halogens

Halogen functional groups are prefixed with the bonding position and take the form fluoro-, chloro-, bromo-, iodo-, etc., depending on the halogen. Multiple groups are dichloro-, trichloro-, etc., and dissimilar groups are ordered alphabetically as before. For example, CHCl₃(chloroform) is trichloromethane. The anesthetic Halothane (CF₃CHBrCl) is 2-bromo-2-chloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane.

Ketones

Main article: Ketones

In general ketones (R-CO-R) take the suffix "-one" (pronounced own, not won) with an infix position number: CH₃CH₂CH₂COCH₃ is pentan-2-one. If a higher precedence suffix is in use, the prefix "oxo-" is used: CH₃CH₂CH₂COCH₂CHO is 3-oxohexanal.

Aldehydes

Main article: Aldehydes

Aldehydes (R-CHO) take the suffix "-al". If other functional groups are present, the chain is numbered such that the aldehyde carbon is in the "1" position, unless functional groups of higher precedence are present.

If a prefix form is required, "oxo-" is used (as for ketones), with the position number indicating the end of a chain: CHOCH₂COOH is 3-oxopropanoic acid. If the carbon in the carbonyl group cannot be included in the attached chain (for instance in the case of cyclic aldehydes), the prefix "formyl-" or the suffix "-carbaldehyde" is used: C₆H₁₁CHO is cyclohexanecarbaldehyde. If an aldehyde is attached to a benzene and is the main functional group, the suffix becomes benzaldehyde.

Carboxylic acids

Main article: Carboxylic acids

In general carboxylic acids are named with the suffix -oic acid (etymologically a back-formation from benzoic acid). As for aldehydes, they take the "1" position on the parent chain, but do not have their position number indicated. For example, CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂COOH (valeric acid) is named pentanoic acid. For common carboxylic acids some traditional names such as acetic acid are in such widespread use they are considered retained IUPAC names, although "systematic" names such as ethanoic acid are also acceptable. For carboxylic acids attached to a benzene ring such as Ph-COOH, these are named as benzoic acid or its derivatives.

If there are multiple carboxyl groups on the same parent chain, the suffix "-carboxylic acid" can be used (as -dicarboxylic acid, -tricarboxylic acid, etc.). In these cases, the carbon in the carboxyl group does not count as being part of the main alkane chain. The same is true for the prefix form, "carboxyl-". Citric acid is one example; it is named 2-hydroxypropane- 1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, rather than 3-carboxy, 3-hydroxypentanedioic acid.

Ethers

Main article: Ethers

Ethers (R-O-R) consist of an oxygen atom between the two attached carbon chains. The shorter of the two chains becomes the first part of the name with the -ane suffix changed to -oxy, and the longer alkane chain becomes the suffix of the name of the ether. Thus, CH₃OCH₃ is methoxymethane, and CH₃OCH₂CH₃ is methoxyethane (notethoxymethane). If the oxygen is not attached to the end of the main alkane chain, then the whole shorter alkyl-plus-ether group is treated as a side-chain and prefixed with its bonding position on the main chain. Thus CH₃OCH(CH₃)₂ is 2-methoxypropane.

Esters

Main article: Esters

Esters (R-CO-O-R') are named as alkyl derivatives of carboxylic acids. The alkyl (R') group is named first. The R-CO-O part is then named as a separate word based on the carboxylic acid name, with the ending changed from -oic acid to -oate. For example, CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂COOCH₃ is methyl pentanoate, and (CH₃)₂CHCH₂CH₂COOCH₂CH₃ is ethyl 4-methylpentanoate. For esters such as ethyl acetate (CH₃COOCH₂CH₃), ethyl formate(HCOOCH₂CH₃) or dimethyl phthalate that are based on common acids, IUPAC recommends use of these established names, calledretained names. The -oate changes to -ate. Some simple examples, named both ways, are shown in the figure above.

If the alkyl group is not attached at the end of the chain, the bond position to the ester group is infixed before "-yl": CH₃CH₂CH(CH₃)OOCCH₂CH₃ may be called but-2-yl propanoate or but-2-yl propionate.^{[citation needed]}

Amines and Amides

Main articles: Amine and Amide

Amines (R-NH₂) are named for the attached alkane chain with the suffix "-amine" (e.g. CH₃NH₂ Methyl Amine). If necessary, the bonding position is infixed: CH₃CH₂CH₂NH₂ propan-1-amine, CH₃CHNH₂CH₃ propan-2-amine. The prefix form is "amino-".

For secondary amines (of the form R-NH-R), the longest carbon chain attached to the nitrogen atom becomes the primary name of the amine; the other chain is prefixed as an alkyl group with location prefix given as an italicN: CH₃NHCH₂CH₃ is N-methylethanamine. Tertiary amines (R-NR-R) are treated similarly: CH₃CH₂N(CH₃)CH₂CH₂CH₃ is N-ethyl-N-methylpropanamine. Again, the substituent groups are ordered alphabetically.

Amides (R-CO-NH₂) take the suffix "-amide", or "-carboxamide" if the carbon in the amide group cannot be included in the main chain . The prefix form is both "carbamoyl-" and "amido-".

Secondary and tertiary amides are treated similarly to the case of amines: alkane chains bonded to the nitrogen atom are treated as substituents with the location prefix N: HCON(CH₃)₂ is N,N-dimethylmethanamide.

Cyclic compounds

Cycloalkanes and aromatic compounds can be treated as the main parent chain of the compound, in which case the position of substituents are numbered around the ring structure. For example, the three isomers of xylene CH₃C₆H₄CH₃, commonly the ortho-, meta-, and para-forms, are 1,2-dimethylbenzene, 1,3-dimethylbenzene, and 1,4-dimethylbenzene. The cyclic structures can also be treated as functional groups themselves, in which case they take the prefix "cycloalkyl-" (e.g. "cyclohexyl-") or for benzene, "phenyl-".

The IUPAC nomenclature scheme becomes rapidly more elaborate for more complex cyclic structures, with notation for compounds containing conjoined rings, and many common names such as phenol, furan, indole, etc. being accepted as base names for compounds derived from them.

Order of precedence of groups

When compounds contain more than one functional group, the order of precedence determines which groups are named with prefix or suffix forms. The highest precedence group takes the suffix, with all others taking the prefix form. However, double and triple bonds only take suffix form (-en and -yn) and are used with other suffixes.

Prefixed substituents are ordered alphabetically (excluding any modifiers such as di-, tri-, etc.), e.g. chlorofluoromethane, notfluorochloromethane. If there are multiple functional groups of the same type, either prefixed or suffixed, the position numbers are ordered numerically (thus ethane-1,2-diol, not ethane-2,1-diol.) The N position indicator for amines and amides comes before "1", e.g. CH₃CH(CH₃)CH₂NH(CH₃) is N,2-dimethylpropanamine.

Priority	Functional group	Formula	Prefix	Suffix
1	Cations    e.g. Ammonium	NH4+	-onio- ammonio-	-onium -ammonium
2	Carboxylic acids Carbothioic S-acids Carboselenoic Se-acids Sulfonic acids Sulfinic acids	–COOH –COSH –COSeH –SO3H –SO2H	carboxy- sulfanylcarbonyl- selanylcarbonyl- sulfo- sulfino-	-oic acid* -thioic S-acid* -selenoic Se-acid* -sulfonic acid -sulfinic acid
3	Carboxylic acid derivatives Esters Acyl halides Amides Imides Amidines	–COOR –COX –CONH2 –CON=C< –C(=NH)NH2	R-oxycarbonyl- halocarbonyl- carbamoyl- -imido- amidino-	-R-oate -oyl halide* -amide* -imide* -amidine*
4	Nitriles    Isocyanides	–CN –NC	cyano- isocyano-	-nitrile* isocyanide
5	Aldehydes    Thioaldehydes	–CHO –CHS	formyl- thioformyl-	-al* -thial*
6	Ketones Thiones Selones Tellones	=O =S =Se =Te	oxo- sulfanylidene- selanylidene- tellanylidene-	-one -thione -selone -tellone
7	Alcohols Thiols Selenols Tellurols	–OH –SH –SeH –TeH	hydroxy- sulfanyl- selanyl- tellanyl-	-ol -thiol -selenol -tellurol
8	Hydroperoxides Peroxols Thioperoxols (Sulfenic acid) Dithioperoxols	-OOH -SOH -SSH	hydroperoxy- hydroxysulfanyl- disulfanyl-	-peroxol -SO-thioperoxol -dithioperoxol
9	Amines    Imines    Hydrazines	–NH2 =NH –NHNH2	amino- imino- hydrazino-	-amine -imine -hydrazine
10	Ethers    Thioethers    Selenoethers	–O– –S– –Se–	-oxy- -thio- -seleno-
11	Peroxides    Disulfides	–OO– –SS–	-peroxy- -disulfanyl-

*Note: These suffixes, in which the carbon atom is counted as part of the preceding chain, are the most commonly used. See individual functional group articles for more details.

Common nomenclature - trivial names

Common nomenclature is an older system of naming organic compounds. Instead of using the prefixes for the carbon skeleton above, another system is used. The pattern can be seen below.

Ketones

Common names for ketones can be derived by naming the two alkyl or aryl groups bonded to the carbonyl group as separate words followed by the word ketone.

• Acetone
• Acetophenone
• Benzophenone
• Ethyl isopropyl ketone
• Diethyl ketone

The first three of the names shown above are still considered to be acceptable IUPAC names.

Aldehydes

The common name for an aldehyde is derived from the common name of the corresponding carboxylic acid by dropping the word acid and changing the suffix from -ic or -oic to -aldehyde.

• Formaldehyde
• Acetaldehyde

Ions

The IUPAC nomenclature also provides rules for naming ions.

Hydron

Hydron is a generic term for hydrogen cation; protons, deuterons and tritons are all hydrons.

Parent hydride cations

(See also Onium compounds.)

Simple cations formed by adding a hydron to a hydride of a halogen, chalcogen or nitrogen-family element are named by adding the suffix "-onium" to the element's root: H₄N⁺ is ammonium, H₃O⁺ is oxonium, and H₂F⁺ is fluoronium. Ammonium was adopted instead of nitronium, which commonly refers to NO₂⁺.

If the cationic center of the hydride is not a halogen, chalcogen or nitrogen-family element then the suffix "-ium" is added to the name of the neutral hydride after dropping any final 'e'. H₅C⁺ is methanium, HO-(O⁺)-H₂ is dioxidanium (HO-OH is dioxidane), and H₂N-(N⁺)-H₃ is diazanium (H₂N-NH₂ is diazane).

Cations and substitution

The above cations except for methanium are not, strictly speaking, organic, since they do not contain carbon. However, many organic cations are obtained by substituting another element or some functional group for a hydrogen.

The name of each substitution is prefixed to the hydride cation name. If many substitutions by the same functional group occur, then the number is indicated by prefixing with "di-", "tri-" as with halogenation. (CH₃)₃O⁺ is trimethyloxonium. CH₃F₃N⁺ is trifluoromethylammonium.

See also

• Preferred IUPAC name
• IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry
• International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Cahn Ingold Prelog priority rules
• Organic nomenclature in Chinese
• Nucleic acid notation

External links

• IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry (online version of the "Blue Book")
• IUPAC Recommendations on Organic & Biochemical Nomenclature, Symbols, Terminology, etc. (includes IUBMB Recommendations for biochemistry)
• Bibliography of IUPAC Recommendations on Organic Nomenclature (last updated 11 April 2003)
• ACD/Name Software for generating systematic nomenclature
• ChemAxon Name <> Structure - ChemAxon IUPAC (& traditional) name to structure and structure to IUPAC name software. As used atchemicalize.org
• chemicalize.org A free web site/service that extracts IUPAC names from web pages and annotates a 'chemicalized' version with structure images. Structures from annotated pages can also be searched.
• G. A. Eller, Improving the Quality of Published Chemical Names with Nomenclature Software. Molecules 2006, 9, 915-928 (online article)
• American Chemical Society, Committee on Nomenclature, Terminology & Symbols

References

1. ^ Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry (3 ed.). London: Butterworths. 1971 (3rd edition combined) [1958 (A: Hydrocarbons, and B: Fundamental Heterocyclic Systems), 1965 (C: Characteristic Groups)]. ISBN 0408701447.

1. ^ Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry, Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1979; A Guide to IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Compounds, Recommendations 1993, Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1993.

Number of carbons	Prefix as in new system	Common name for alcohol	Common name for aldehyde	Common name for acid
1	Meth	Methyl alcohol (wood alcohol)	Formaldehyde	Formic acid
2	Eth	Ethyl alcohol (grain alcohol)	Acetaldehyde	Acetic acid
3	Prop	Propyl alcohol	Propionaldehyde	Propionic acid
4	But	Butyl alcohol	Butyraldehyde	Butyric acid
5	Pent	Amyl alcohol	Valeraldehyde	Valeric acid
6	Hex	-	Caproaldehyde	Caproic acid
7	Hept	Enanthyl alcohol	Enanthaldehyde	Enanthoic acid
8	Oct	Capryl alcohol	Caprylaldehyde	Caprylic acid
9	Non	-	Pelargonaldehyde	Pelargonic acid
10	Dec	Capric alcohol	Capraldehyde	Capric acid
11	Undec	-	-	-
12	Dodec	Lauryl alcohol	Lauraldehyde	Lauric acid
14	Tetradec	-	Myristaldehyde	Myristic acid
16	Hexadec	Cetyl alcohol	Palmitaldehyde	Palmitic acid
17	Heptadec	-	-	Margaric acid
18	Octadec	Stearyl alcohol	Stearaldehyde	Stearic acid
20	Eicos	Arachidyl alcohol	-	Arachidic acid
22	Docos	Behenyl alcohol	-	Behenic acid
24	Tetracos	Lignoceryl alcohol	-	Lignoceric acid
26	Hexacos	Cerotinyl alcohol	-	Cerotinic acid
28	Octacos	Mountainyl alcohol	-	Mountainic acid
30	Triacont	Melissyl alcohol	-	Melissic acid
40	Tetracont	-	-	-