Alkane Nomenclature

Naming Alkanes

Naming an organic compound requires several steps. What follows is a minimal outline. Consult your textbook for more details and examples.
  1. Find the longest continuous chain of carbon atoms. This longest chain may not be written in a straight line.
  2. Name that longest chain with the appropriate alkane name.
  3. Find the substituents and name each of them with the appropriate group name.
  4. Number the carbons in the chain such that the lowest number is given to the group nearest one end of the chain.
  5. List the groups alphabetically in front of the longest chain name.
  6. Precede each group name with a prefix indicating how many of them are present in the molecule. In front of the prefix, list the numbers of each group in the molecule and separate the numbers with a hyphen.