SYSTEMATIC NOMENCLATURE
7
• the longest carbon chain containing the functional
group provides the stem name;
• the carbon chain is numbered, keeping minimum
values for the suffix group;
• side-chain substituents are added as prefixes with
appropriate numbering, listing them alphabetically.
The stem names are derived from the names of
hydrocarbons. Acyclic and cyclic saturated hydrocarbons (alkanes) in the range C 1 –C 12 are listed in
Table 1.2.
Aromatic systems are named in a similar way,
but additional stem names need to be used. Parent
aromatic compounds of importance are benzene,
Table 1.2 Names of parent hydrocarbons
Acyclic hydrocarbon
Cyclic hydrocarbon
Methane
CH 4
Ethane
H 3 C–CH 3
Propane
Cyclopropane
Butane
Cyclobutane
Pentane
Cyclopentane
Hexane
Cyclohexane
Heptane
Cycloheptane
Octane
Cyclooctane
Nonane
Cyclononane
≡
Decane
Cyclodecane
≡
Undecane
Cycloundecane
≡
Dodecane
Cyclododecane
≡