Chemical nomenclature
Chemical nomenclature is a set of rules to generate systematic names for chemical compounds. The nomenclature used most frequently worldwide is the one created and developed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
IUPAC Nomenclature ensures that each compound have only one formally accepted name known as the systematic IUPAC name. However, some compounds may have alternative names that are also accepted, known as the preferred IUPAC name which is generally taken from the common name of that compound. Preferably, the name should also represent the structure or chemistry of a compound.
For example, the main constituent of white vinegar is, which is commonly called acetic acid and is also its recommended IUPAC name, but its formal, systematic IUPAC name is ethanoic acid.
The IUPAC's rules for naming organic and inorganic compounds are contained in two publications, known as the Blue Book and the Red Book, respectively. A third publication, known as the Green Book, recommends the use of symbols for physical quantities, while a fourth, the Gold Book, defines many technical terms used in chemistry. Similar compendia exist for biochemistry, analytical chemistry, macromolecular chemistry, and clinical chemistry. These "color books" are supplemented by specific recommendations published periodically in the journal Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Purpose of chemical nomenclature
The main purpose of chemical nomenclature is to disambiguate the spoken or written names of chemical compounds: each name should refer to one compound. Secondarily, each compound should have only one name, although in some cases some alternative names are accepted.Preferably, the name should also represent the structure or chemistry of a compound. This is achieved by the International Chemical Identifier nomenclature. However, the American Chemical Society's CAS numbers nomenclature does not represent a compound's structure.
The nomenclature used depends on the needs of the user, so no single correct nomenclature exists. Rather, different nomenclatures are appropriate for different circumstances.
A common name will successfully identify a chemical compound, given context. Without context, the name should indicate at least the chemical composition. To be more specific, the name may need to represent the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms. This requires adding more rules to the standard IUPAC system, at the expense of having names which are longer and less familiar.
The IUPAC system is often criticized for failing to distinguish relevant compounds. While IUPAC has a human-readable advantage over CAS numbering, IUPAC names for some larger, relevant molecules are barely human-readable, so common names are used instead.
Differing needs of chemical nomenclature and lexicography
It is generally understood that the purposes of lexicography versus chemical nomenclature vary and are to an extent at odds. Dictionaries of words, whether in traditional print or on the internet, collect and report the meanings of words as their uses appear and change over time. For internet dictionaries with limited or no formal editorial process, definitions —in this case, definitions of chemical names and terms— can change rapidly without concern for the formal or historical meanings. Chemical nomenclature however is necessarily more restrictive: Its purpose is to standardize communication and practice so that, when a chemical term is used it has a fixed meaning relating to chemical structure, thereby giving insights into chemical properties and derived molecular functions. These differing purposes can affect understanding, especially with regard to chemical classes that have achieved popular attention. Examples of the effect of these are as follows:- resveratrol, a single compound defined clearly by this common name, but that can be confused, popularly, with its cis-isomer,
- omega-3 fatty acids, a reasonably well-defined class of chemical structures that is nevertheless broad as a result of its formal definition, and
- polyphenols, a fairly broad structural class with a formal definition, but where mistranslations and general misuse of the term relative to the formal definition has resulted in serious errors of usage, and so ambiguity in the relationship between structure and activity.
History
Alchemical names
The nomenclature of alchemy is descriptive, but does not effectively represent the functions mentioned above. Opinions differ about whether this was deliberate on the part of the early practitioners of alchemy or whether it was a consequence of the particular theories according to which they worked. While both explanations are probably valid to some extent, it is remarkable that the first "modern" system of chemical nomenclature appeared at the same time as the distinction between elements and compounds, during the late eighteenth century.''Méthode de nomenclature chimique''
The French chemist Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau published his recommendations in 1782, hoping that his "constant method of denomination" would "help the intelligence and relieve the memory". The system was refined in , published in 1787 in collaboration with Lavoisier, Claude Louis Berthollet, and Antoine-François de Fourcroy, and translated into English as Method of Chymical Nomenclature by James St. John in 1788. Méthode de nomenclature chimique contained handy dictionaries in which older chemical names were listed with their new counterparts and vice versa. New names were provided in both French and Latin for the benefit of an international readership. For a modern reader these dictionaries are still useful, but now to discover and understand older names, rather than the new. In the English version, the new names had been adapted to English, though they did not always align with current conventions. St. John used "acetat" instead of "acetate" for example. For gases, the word "gas" was being popularized by its consistent use in the new names, whereas the old names used the affix "air".''Traité élémentaire de chimie''
The new system was presented to a wider audience in Lavoisier's 1789 textbook Traité élémentaire de chimie, translated into English as Elements of Chemistry by Robert Kerr in 1790, and it would be of great influence long after his death at the guillotine in 1794. The project was also endorsed by Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius, who adapted the ideas for the German-speaking world.Traité élémentaire de chimie included the first modern list of elements. Also here were older names provided to explain their new counterparts. Some element names were new and received English versions similar to the French names. For the new "element" caloric, both the new and some of the "old" names were coined by Lavoisier, their discoverer. Most element names, however, were not new, so they retained their existing English versions. But their status as elements was new—a product of the chemical revolution.
Geneva Rules
The recommendations of Guyton were only for what would later be known as inorganic compounds. With the massive expansion of organic chemistry during the mid-nineteenth century and the greater understanding of the structure of organic compounds, the need for a less ad hoc system of nomenclature was felt just as the theoretical basis became available to make this possible. An international conference was convened in Geneva in 1892 by the national chemical societies, from which the first widely accepted proposals for standardization developed.IUPAC
A commission was established in 1913 by the Council of the International Association of Chemical Societies, but its work was interrupted by World War I. After the war, the task passed to the newly formed International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, which first appointed commissions for organic, inorganic, and biochemical nomenclature in 1921 and continues to do so to this day.Types of nomenclature
Nomenclature has been developed for both organic and inorganic chemistry. There are also designations having to do with structuresee Descriptor.Organic chemistry
- Additive name
- Conjunctive name
- Functional class name, also known as a radicofunctional name
- Fusion name
- Hantzsch–Widman nomenclature
- Multiplicative name
- Replacement name
- Substitutive name
- Subtractive name
Inorganic chemistry
Compositional nomenclature
Type-I ionic binary compounds
For type-I ionic binary compounds, the cation is named first, and the anion is named second. The cation retains its elemental name, but the suffix of the nonmetal changes to -ide. For example, the compound is made of cations and anions; thus, it is called lithium bromide. The compound, which is composed of cations and anions, is referred to as barium oxide.The oxidation state of each element is unambiguous. When these ions combine into a type-I binary compound, their equal-but-opposite charges are neutralized, so the compound's net charge is zero.
Type-II ionic binary compounds
Type-II ionic binary compounds are those in which the cation does not have just one oxidation state. This is common among transition metals. To name these compounds, one must determine the charge of the cation and then render the name as would be done with Type-I ionic compounds, except that a Roman numeral is written in parentheses next to the cation name. For example, for the compound, the cation, iron, can occur as and. In order for the compound to have a net charge of zero, the cation must be so that the three anions can be balanced. Thus, this compound is termed iron chloride. Another example could be the compound. Because the anion has a subscript of 2 in the formula, the compound must be balanced with a 4+ charge on the cation. Thus, the compound is made of one cation to every two anions, the compound is balanced, and its name is written as lead sulfide.An older system – relying on Latin names for the elements – is also sometimes used to name Type-II ionic binary compounds. In this system, the metal has a suffix "-ic" or "-ous" added to it to indicate its oxidation state. For example, the compound contains the cation. Since this oxidation state is lower than the other possibility, this compound is sometimes called ferrous oxide. For the compound,, the tin ion is , and because this is a higher oxidation state than the alternative, this compound is termed stannic oxide.
Some ionic compounds contain polyatomic ions, which are charged entities containing two or more covalently bonded types of atoms. It is important to know the names of common polyatomic ions; these include: