Nomenclature

The nomenclature recommended by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for organic chemical substances is called IUPAC nomenclature. While for inorganic chemistry, IUPAC has developed its nomenclature. Systematic nomenclature and trivial nomenclature are two main types of nomenclature.

Trivial nomenclature: The term “trivial name” refers to a chemical substance’s non-systematic name in chemistry. A formal system of chemical nomenclature, like the IUPAC inorganic or organic nomenclature, does not recognise the name. An informal or common name is known as a “trivial name.”

Systematic nomenclature: To assign a name, population, organism, object, or chemical compound a systematic name is a methodical process. Nomenclature often includes systematic names.

IUPAC organic chemistry nomenclature

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry’s (IUPAC) nomenclature is a way for naming chemical compounds. The ideal situation is to have a name for every possible organic molecule, which can be used to generate a structural formula. IUPAC terminology is also used in inorganic chemistry. For example, 2.4,5-Trimethyl-2 Hexene is the official IUPAC name. The longest chain in example (2) contains both carbon atoms in the double bond and is five strands long. One of the double bond carbon atoms is found in a seven-carbon chain. Therefore, pentene will be the compound’s primary naming convention. To avoid long and boring names, the formal IUPAC naming guidelines are not often followed in practice.

Binomial system of nomenclature

Binomial nomenclature employs Latin terms to identify species. The genus and species prefix each name. Humans, for example, are classified as members of the genus Homo, and our species is sapiens, thus the moniker Homo sapiens in the scientific community.

The name of an item serves as a unique identifier in this universe. It wasn’t until the early days of organic chemistry that compounds were referred to by their origins or the name of their discoverer as common or trivial names.

Rules for the systematic naming of organic compounds are developed by IUPAC (the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) and updated regularly. A compound’s stem name, prefix, and suffix are all included in its IUPAC nomenclature.

Scope of binomial nomenclature

 It is also known as Binary Nomenclature or Binomial Nomenclature. The generic epithet is the genus (category) of the species, while the specific epithet is the name of the species itself. The two words are used interchangeably. Many other languages may be used to produce scientific names using this technique.

Every recognised species on the planet is assigned a two-part scientific name (at least in theory). “Binomial nomenclature” is the term for this way of naming things. Because these names help people throughout the globe to communicate clearly about animal species, they are significant.

Trivial nomenclature system

The nomenclature of organic compounds in the trivial nomenclature scheme is non-systematic. Simple compound names are not subject to any set of standardised regulations. This approach simplifies the names of organic substances. Toluene, phenol, and acetic acid are examples of this. On the other hand, the IUPAC nomenclature of the same chemical is typically significantly longer and more complicated than the trivial nomenclature. Because of this, this nomenclature system is still in use today and is not outdated.

The following example illustrates the relative ease with which compounds may be named: Tartaric acid is the trivial name for a carboxylic acid that is often found in tamarind. And, 2,3-dihydroxy-1,4-butanedioic acid is its IUPAC name.

For relatively simple molecules, they may be more readily comprehended than non-systematic names that have to be memorised or sifted through. The common or trivial name, on the other hand, is typically much shorter and clearer, and so preferable. It is common for these names to be generated from a previously unknown chemical. To make matters worse, lengthy names might be more difficult to remember than structural formulae.

Trivial nomenclature system drawbacks

The following is a list of flaws with the currently used trivial method for naming chemical compounds.

• A single compound may have a slew of obscurity-inducing monikers. The various names of phenol, such as hydroxybenzene and carbolic acid, are a good illustration of this.
• Only a small number of compounds from each class are included in the trivial nomenclature scheme. Formic acid and acetic acid, the first two members of the carboxylic acid family, are examples of this. Carboxylic acids with more than ten atoms have no common names.
• In the trivial system, there are no specific rules for the name of complicated compounds.

Conclusion

The practice of giving names to living things is known as nomenclature. Calare, which means to call, is the Latin word for “nomen,” which means “name.” The naming of various compounds is done according to agreed-upon international standards. However, it may range from the use of popular and colloquial terms to a rigid set of guidelines.