A Simple Note On Types Of Nomenclature

The process of naming living and non-living substances is known as nomenclature. For this,several internationally agreed-upon principles are applied. These principles impose a uniformity rule and eliminate the problem of many names for the same substance.

Importance of Nomenclature

Every day, the number of organic and inorganic substances grows. As a result, finding any material will be extremely difficult if there are no rules in place. But such issues can be avoided with the use of nomenclature. The primary goal of chemistry nomenclature is to ensure that each chemical name refers to only one substance and that there is no confusion about the chemical compound it refers to.

We should also make sure that all compounds have a single name as a secondary goal (although several alternative names may be acceptable in some cases). As a result, there is no perfect shape; instead, depending on the context, there are a variety of forms that are most or least appropriate.

Types of Nomenclature

Trivial Nomenclature 

The Trivial nomenclature system takes an ad hoc approach to naming chemical compounds. There is no such thing as a set of rules for writing compound names that aren’t trivial. This approach is used to shorten the names of organic compounds. Phenol, acetic acid, and toluene are some of its examples.

The names of compounds specified using trivial nomenclature are usually much shorter and simpler than their IUPAC counterparts. As a result, this approach continues to be useful today.

Drawbacks of Trivial Nomenclature

For a single compound, there are numerous illustrative names. Phenol, for example, is also known as hydroxybenzene, carbolic acid, and phenol.

The number of chemicals in each group is limited in this scheme. For example, the first two members of the carbolic acid family, formic acid and acetic acid have simple names, whereas carbolic acid with more atoms has no such names.

When it comes to naming complicated chemicals, there are no set rules.

IUPAC Nomenclature 

At the very least, a rational nomenclature system should accomplish two goals. To begin, it should show how a compound’s carbon atoms are bound together in a certain lattice of chains and rings. Second, any functional groups present in the compound should be identified and located. Because hydrogen is such a common component of organic compounds, its amount and location can usually be deduced from the tetravalency of carbon, and it isn’t necessary to specify it.

The IUPAC nomenclature system is a set of logical guidelines developed and used by organic chemists to avoid the problems that arbitrary naming can generate. Knowing these guidelines and being provided with a structural formula, one should be able to write a distinct name for each compound. Similarly, given an IUPAC name, a structural formula should be able to be written. An IUPAC name will, in general, contain three characteristics:

• A root or base in a chemical structure denotes a large chain or ring of carbon atoms.
• A suffix or other element(s) indicates the presence of functional groups in the compound.
• Other than hydrogen, these are the names of substituent groups that complete the molecular structure.

Methods of Nomenclature

Composition Nomenclature

According to IUPAC nomenclature, compositional nomenclature is used to name compounds based on the composition of the species or substances vs systems, including structural information or composition. The generalised stoichiometric word is used in compound compositional naming. Multiple prefixes are used to name compounds to ascertain the overall stoichiometry of the compound from the name. When there are various components, they are divided into two groups: electronegative and electropositive elements.

Substitute Nomenclature

In the IUPAC nomenclature of compounds, substitutive nomenclature has been employed to exchange hydrogen atoms with a substituent group to modify the parent hydride. In this naming method, organic compounds are named using functional groups as a prefix or suffix to the parent compound’s name. This method can also be used to name compounds formed from certain element hydrides. These elements could also arise from molecules with a ring or chain structure.

Additive Nomenclature

This method was developed to be utilised in coordination compound nomenclature. It could be utilised in several ways. This nomenclature can be seen in the name trichloride-phosphorus, which is used to denote the chemical with the formula PCl3.

Conclusion

The primary function of nomenclature ensures a uniformity rule and eliminates the problem of many names for the same substance. The two approaches for naming substances are- Trivial and IUPAC nomenclature. There are three methods of nomenclature – Composition, Substitute, Additive nomenclature. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) designed and developed the nomenclature that is most often used worldwide.