03 Nomenclature
- Common names come from the natural source: formic (Latin formica, ant), acetic (acetum, vinegar), butyric (butyrum, butter), palmitic (palm oil).
- IUPAC: the alkane name with -e replaced by -oic acid; the carboxyl carbon is C-1:
1HCOOH
Common
- formic acid
IUPAC
- methanoic acid
2CH₃COOH
Common
- acetic acid
IUPAC
- ethanoic acid
3CH₃CH₂CH₂COOH
Common
- butyric acid
IUPAC
- butanoic acid
4C₁₅H₃₁COOH
Common
- palmitic acid
IUPAC
- hexadecanoic acid
Substituents are numbered from the carboxyl carbon: 2,2-dimethylbutanoic acid; 2,3-dichlorohexadecanoic acid; 2,4-dichlorobenzoic acid.