What is nomenclature and how does it work?
Nomenclature is the language of Organic Chemistry. It allows organic chemists anywhere in the world to communicate and to understand what molecules and/or compounds are being discussed. These rules were established by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and are not to be confused with common names (names given to compounds and/or molecules that do not follow these rules, usually more complicated structures). When naming a compound from its structure the best approach is to construct the name backward. Example: I h I g I f I e I d I c I b I a I e-h. Names and locations of any and all substituents (groups not part of the backbone or parent chain); there are two types of substituents, halides and nonhalides; Grammatical Rules: • -Alphabetize substituents, whether halide or not; • -Separate position numbers from names with dashes (-); • -Separate position numbers from each other with a comma (,); • -Do not separate names from each other unless the compound is an e
