Nomenclature of Organic Compounds

Before the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) system existed, organic compounds were named ad hoc, and many of those old common names (acetic acid, urea, acetone) are still in everyday use. IUPAC is the world's standing authority for chemical nomenclature and terminology -- it also names newly discovered elements and standardises measurement conventions -- and its system treats every organic compound as, in effect, a derivative of its parent saturated hydrocarbon. Every IUPAC name is built from exactly three pieces, always in the same order: prefix + root word + suffix. The root word records how many carbons sit in the molecule's longest continuous chain; anything attached to that chain that is not part of the chain itself is a substituent, named by a prefix placed before the root; and the compound's functional group is named by a suffix placed after the root. Table 11.2 suppl …