Organic Nomenclature

Naming Alkanes

1.  Find the longest continuous chain of carbon atoms in the molecule

2.  Start numbering the chain at the carbon nearer the first branching point (the substituents should have the lowest numbers possible)

3.  Name and number the substituents

• If there are two substiuents attached to the same carbon, assign both of them the same number

4.  Write out the name of the molecule

• list the substituent names in alphabetical order

        if there are two identical substituents on the molecule, use the prefix di-;

        if there are three identical substituents on the molecule, use the prefix tri-;

        if there are four identical substituents on the molecule, use the prefix tetra-;

        alphabetize the substituents by the main name of the substituent, not by any      prefixes the substituents may have

• separate the substituent names with hyphens

• tag the name of the parent chain onto the end of the substituent names

A few extra rules to follow:

• Use commas to separate numbers

• Use hyphens to separate numbers from the substituent names

• Never name alkanesafter drinking

• Don't allow children to name alkanes unattended