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Chemical nomenclature, replete as it is with compounds with very complex names, is a repository for some names that may be considered unusual. A browse through the Physical Constants of Organic Compounds in the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (a fundamental resource) will reveal not just the whimsical work of chemists, but the sometimes peculiar compound names that occur as the consequence of simple juxtaposition. Some names derive legitimately from their chemical makeup, from the geographic region where they may be found, the plant or animal species from which they are isolated or the name of the discoverer.
Some are given intentionally unusual trivial names based on their structure, a notable property or at the whim of those who first isolate them. However, many trivial names predate formal naming conventions. Trivial names can also be ambiguous or carry different meanings in different industries, geographic regions and languages.
Godly noted that "Trivial names having the status of INN or ISO are carefully tailor-made for their field of use and are internationally accepted". [1] In his preface to Chemical Nomenclature, Thurlow wrote that "Chemical names do not have to be deadly serious". [2] A website in existence since 1997 [3] and maintained at the University of Bristol lists a selection of "molecules with silly or unusual names" strictly for entertainment. These so-called silly or funny trivial names (depending on culture) can also serve an educational purpose. In an article in the Journal of Chemical Education , Dennis Ryan argues that students of organic nomenclature (considered a "dry and boring" subject) may actually take an interest in it when tasked with the job of converting funny-sounding chemical trivial names to their proper systematic names. [4]
The collection listed below presents a sample of trivial names and gives an idea how chemists are inspired when they coin a brand new name for a chemical compound outside of systematic naming. It also includes some examples of systematic names and acronyms that accidentally resemble English words.
Glenn Seaborg told his students that he proposed the chemical symbol Pu (from P U) instead of the conventional "Pl" for plutonium as a joke, only to find it officially adopted. [5] Unununium (Uuu) was the former temporary name of the chemical element number 111, a synthetic transuranium element. This element was named roentgenium (Rg) in November 2004.
Barrelene | C8H8, the name derives from the resemblance to a barrel. [6] |
Basketane | pentacyclo[4.4.0.02,5.03,8.04,7]decane (C10H12), a polycyclic alkane with a structure similar to a basket. [3] |
Bowtiediene | Spiropentadiene, a polycyclic alkene with a 2D projection similar to a bowtie. [7] |
Churchane | A polycyclic alkane named "churchane" because it looks superficially like a church. |
Cubane | A hydrocarbon whose eight carbon atoms occupy the vertices of a cube. [8] |
Dodecahedrane | A Platonic hydrocarbon shaped like a dodecahedron. [9] |
Fenestrane (Windowpane) | A class of compounds with a "window pane motif" (the name fenestrane derives from the Latin word fenestra, meaning window), comprising four fused carbocycles centred on a quaternary carbon resulting in a twice-over spiro compound. The illustration at right shows a generic fenestrane as well as the specific example [4,4,4,4]fenestrane. Fenestranes are of considerable interest in theoretical chemistry though comparatively few have actually been synthesised. |
Housane | A polycyclic alkane named "housane" because it looks superficially like a house. [3] |
Ladderane | An organic molecule that looks like a ladder because it contains two or more fused rings of cyclobutane. |
Nanokid | Nanokids belongs to a series of NanoPutians, a series of organic molecules whose structural formula resemble human forms. "NanoPutian" is a portmanteau of nano-, a unit prefix meaning one billionth, and lilliputian, a fictional race of humans in the novel Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. There are no chemical or practical uses for the NanoKid molecule or any of its known derivatives. However, James Tour has turned the NanoKid into a lifelike character to educate children in the sciences. It was found that 82% of students found that NanoKids made learning science more interesting and led to a 10–59% increase in understanding of the material presented. [10] |
Olympiadane | A mechanically-interlocked compound based on the topology for the Olympic rings. |
Olympicene | Refers to the fused 5-benzene rings (C19H12), which is reminiscent of the Olympic Flag. [11] |
Paddlanes | Paddlanes are bicyclic molecules that resemble the paddles on steamboats. |
Pagodane | An organic compound which resembles a pagoda. |
Penguinone | 3,4,4,5-tetramethylcyclohexa-2,5-dienone; a two-dimensional representation of its structure resembles a penguin. |
Pterodactylane | [4]-ladderanes with substituents on the central rung. So named for their resemblance to a Pterodactyl. [12] |
Prismane | An isomer of benzene with the carbon atoms arranged in the shape of a triangular prism. |
Propellanes | Propellanes are bicyclic molecules that resemble propellers. |
Quadratic acid | A square-shaped organic compound, also called squaric acid. |
Sulflower | A stable heterocyclic octacirculene based on thiophene, named as a portmanteau of sulfur and sunflower . |
Volleyballene | Molecule composed of 60 carbon and 20 scandium atoms, which has an appearance similar to that of a volleyball. |
Buckminsterfullerene (Fullerene) | Also called the buckyball, this is an allotrope of carbon named after Richard Buckminster Fuller due to its resemblance to Fuller's geodesic domes. The term was coined by Harold Kroto. [13] The alternative name footballene was coined by A.D.J. Haymet [14] because the molecule also resembles a football; [3] the 70-atom version is said to resemble a rugby ball from its own oval shape. |
Bullvalene | (tricyclo[3.3.2.02,8]deca-3,6,9-triene) (C10H10), was named by organic chemist Maitland Jones Jr. for William "Bull" Doering who predicted its properties in 1963. [15] [16] Within a specific temperature range the molecule is subject to rapid degenerate Cope rearrangements with the result that all carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms are equivalent and that none of the carbon–carbon bonds is permanent. |
Dickite | ( Al 2 Si 2O5(OH)4), a clay-like material with a number of manufacturing uses, one of which is as a coating for high-quality bond paper. It is named after its discoverer, Allan Brugh Dick. [17] |
Josiphos ligands | A well-known catalyst, named after Josi Puleo, the technician who first prepared it. [18] Mandyphos and Taniaphos also exist. |
Welshite | A mineral named after the US amateur mineralogist Wilfred R. Welsh. Its formula is Ca2SbMg4FeBe2Si4O20. |
Alcindoromycine | An anthracycline antibiotic agent named after the character Alcindoro in La Bohème . [19] |
Bohemamine | An anti-tumour agent named after the Puccini opera La Bohème . [19] |
Collinemycin | An anthracycline antibiotic agent named after the character Colline in La Bohème . [19] |
Ranasmurfin | A blue protein from the foam nests of a tropical frog, named after the Smurfs. |
Mimimycin | An anthracycline antibiotic agent named after the character Mimì in La Bohème . [19] |
Musettamycin | An anthracycline antibiotic agent named after the character Musetta in La Bohème . [19] |
Marcellomycin | An anthracycline antibiotic agent named after the character Marcello in La Bohème . [19] |
Pikachurin | A retinal protein named after Pokémon character / species Pikachu |
Rudolphomycin | An anthracycline antibiotic agent named after the character Rodolfo (Rudolph) in La Bohème . [19] [20] |
Sonic hedgehog | A protein named after Sonic the Hedgehog |
Arsole | (C4H5 As), an analogue of pyrrole in which an arsenic atom replaces the nitrogen atom. [21] The aromaticity of arsoles has been debated for many years. [22] The compound in which a benzene ring is fused to arsole — typically on the carbon atoms 3 and 4 — is known as benzarsole. [3] |
Cumene | (C9H12), an aromatic hydrocarbon used in the production of phenol and acetone. |
Cummingtonite | ((Mg,Fe2+)2(Mg,Fe2+)5Si8O22(OH)2), a magnesium-iron silicate hydroxide, first identified in Cummington, Massachusetts. [3] |
FAP | Tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, an anion used in some ionic liquids. [23] |
Fornacite | A rare lead, copper chromate arsenate hydroxide mineral (Pb2CuCrO4AsO4OH), named after its discoverer, Lucien Lewis Forneau. [3] |
Fucitol | (C6H14O5), an alcohol derived from Fucus vesiculosus , a North Atlantic seaweed. Its optical isomers are also called D-fuc-ol and L-fuc-ol. [3] |
FucK | The name of the gene that encodes L-fuculokinase, an enzyme that catalyzes a chemical reaction between L-fuculose, ADP, and L-fuculose-1-phosphate. [3] |
Fukalite | ( Ca 4 Si 2O6(CO3)(OH, F))2, a rare form of calcium silicocarbonate discovered in the Fuka Mine of Takahashi, Japan. [3] |
Orotic acid | Pyrimidinecarboxylic acid has been referred to as vitamin B13. Often misspelled "erotic acid". [3] |
Pizda | Abbreviated ligand name of a substance 1-(2’’-hydroxyl cyclohexyl)-3-[aminopropyl]-4-[3’-aminopropyl] piperazine, first synthesized by a group of Australian chemists. In Romanian and some Slavic languages, the word pizda is a vulgarism for "vagina" (see Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/pizda). |
Rhamnetin | A flavonol dye derived from buckthorn (rhamnus). [24] |
SEX | An abbreviation of sodium ethyl xanthate, [25] a flotation agent used in the mining industry. |
Spermine, Spermidine | growth factors involved in cellular metabolism. [3] |
BARF | (tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate), a fluoroaryl borate B(Ar(CF3)2)4−, used as a non-coordinating anion [26] |
catP | The name of the enzyme responsible for chloramphenicol resistance in various species of bacteria. |
Constipatic acid | [2-(14-hydroxypentadecyl)-4-methyl-5-oxo-2,5-dihydrofuran-3-carboxylic acid], an aliphatic acid derived from the Australian Xanthoparmelia lichen. [3] [27] |
Crapinon | An anticholinergic drug, one side effect of which is constipation. [3] |
Diurea | Organic compounds containing two urea moieties. Specific examples include methylene diurea and ethylene diurea. |
dUMP | Deoxyuridine monophosphate, an intermediate in nucleotide metabolism |
Earthcide, or Fartox | Some of the many names for pentachloronitrobenzene, a fungicide. [28] |
Nonanal | (C9H18O), an aldehyde derived from nonane. [29] |
PoO | Chemical formula of polonium monoxide. |
Uranate | The chemical term for an oxyanion of the element uranium. [3] |
Vomitoxin | A mycotoxin occurring in grains. [3] |
Cadaverine | A foul-smelling diamine produced by putrefaction of dead animal tissue. [3] [30] |
DEAD, DEADCAT | Diethyl azodicarboxylate: An apt acronym, given that diethyl azodicarboxylate is explosive; shock sensitive; carcinogenic; and an eye, skin, and respiratory irritant. [3] |
Earthcide, or Fartox | Some of the many names for pentachloronitrobenzene, a fungicide. [31] |
Putrescine | A foul-smelling diamine produced by the putrefaction of dead animal tissue. [3] |
Angelic acid | An organic acid found in garden angelica ( Angelica archangelica ), Umbelliferae, and many other plants. |
DAMN | Diaminomaleonitrile, a cyanocarbon that contains two amine groups and two nitrile groups bound to an ethylene backbone. |
Diabolic acid | A series of long-chain dicarboxylic acids with chains of different lengths. Named after the Greek word diabollo meaning to mislead. [32] |
Draculin | An anticoagulant found in the saliva of vampire bats. [33] |
Vitamin C (Godnose) | Albert Szent-Gyorgyi coined the term "ignose" to describe ascorbic acid, which he isolated and published. When the journal's editor refused to accept ignose as a plausible name, Szent-Gyorgyi suggested 'Godnose' (a joke meaning that only God could know the real identity of the molecule). The editor suggested that the name be changed to something more formal. [34] |
Luciferase | A generic term for the class of oxidative enzymes that produce bioluminescence. |
Lucifer yellow | Lucifer Yellow is a food coloring that is commonly found in hot sauces such as salsa pickle. Because it fluoresces under ultraviolet light and stains certain regions between plant cells, it's also used in plant microscopy anatomy studies. |
Miraculin | A glycoprotein found in miracle fruit that makes sour foods taste sweet after contact with taste buds. [35] |
Adamantane | (tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane), a crystalline cycloalkane, [36] [37] an isomer of twistane. Name resembles that of English pop star Adam Ant. [3] |
Irene | Hantzsch-Widman nomenclature for a monocyclic, heterocyclic compound with three ring atoms. [38] |
Naftazone | (C11H9N3O2), a vasoprotective drug. The NAFTA free-trade zone is the area covered by the North American Free Trade Agreement. [39] |
PEPPSI | Pyridine-Enhanced Precatalyst Preparation Stabilization and Initiation. [40] |
Antipain | Antipain works as a protease inhibitor, preventing proteins from being degraded. It is a highly toxic compound that, ironically, causes severe itching or pain when it comes into contact with the skin. Because it inhibits the action of papain, an enzyme found in papayas, its name is actually an abbreviation of anti-papain. |
Bongkrek acid | Name sounds like a combination of English words related to recreational drugs: bong ; crack , a preparation of cocaine; and acid, a street name for lysergic acid diethylamide. |
Constipatic Acid | Some Australian lichens, like Parmelia constipata, have this as a component. Protoconstipatic acid, dehydroconstipatic acid, and methyl constipatate are all constipatic acid derivatives. |
DiNOsar | Common shortening of di-nitro sarcophagine. Used due to shorter length compared to the IUPAC name of 1,8-dinitro-3,6,10,13,16,19-hexaazabicyclo[6.6.6]icosane. Sounds similar to the word dinosaur |
Gardenin | Gardenins, which are flavones extracted from the Indian plant Gardenia lucida , come in a variety of forms. |
Hirsutene | [41] [42] Is also named after an animal, a goat (Hircus). |
Magic acid | A superacid consisting of a mixture, most commonly in a 1:1 molar ratio, of fluorosulfuric acid (HSO3F) and antimony pentafluoride (SbF5). |
Megaphone | A ketone derived from the root of Aniba megaphylla . [43] |
Melon | A compound consisting mostly of linked heptazine units with an undetermined composition. |
Mispickel | An older name for the mineral arsenopyrite, an iron arsenic sulfide and major source of the element arsenic, sounds like 'miss pickle'. From German. [44] |
Moronic acid | [3-oxoolean-18-en-28-oic acid], a natural triterpene |
Performic acid | A strongly oxidizing acid related to formic acid. |
Noggin | A signalling protein involved in embryonic development. |
Nonose | A monosaccharide with nine carbons. An example is sialic acid. |
Periodic acid | Or per-iodic acid, is pronounced /ˌpɜːraɪˈɒdɪk/ PURR-eye-OD-ik and not * /ˌpɪəriˈɒdɪk/ PEER-ee-OD-ik. It refers to one of two interconvertible species: HIO4 (metaperiodic acid), or H5IO6 (orthoperiodic acid – illustrated at right). The per- prefix in the name denotes that iodine is present in its highest possible (+VII) oxidation state. |
Picket Fence Porphyrin | (5,10,15,20-tetrakis(alpha,alpha,alpha-2-pivalamidophenyl)porphyrin), used to model heme enzyme active sites. |
Piranha solution | A strongly oxidizing mixture of hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid used to remove organic residues from substrates and glassware. The name refers to the voracious appetite of the Amazonian piranha fish. |
Rednose | A sugar derived from the degradation of rudolphomycin. [19] |
Rhamnose | A sugar naturally occurring in buckthorn (rhamnus). |
Ru(Tris)BiPy-on-a-stick | Shorthand form of (trans-1,4-bis[(4-pyridyl)ethenyl]benzene)(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II). [45] |
Traumatic acid | A substance occurring in plants, with a role in healing damaged tissue. |
Bastardane | A close relative to tetramantane (a higher homologue of adamantane), its proper name is nonacyclo[11.7.1.112,18.03,16.04,13.05,10.06,14.07,11.015,20]docosane. Because its unusual ethano-bridge was a deviation from the standard hydrocarbon caged rearrangements, it came to be known as bastardane—the unwanted child. [3] [46] |
Dinocap | (C18H24N2O6), a miticide and contact fungicide used to control powdery mildew in crops. |
DuPhos | A class of asymmetric ligands for asymmetric synthesis. The name DuPhos is derived from the chemical company that developed this type of ligand (DuP, DuPont) and the compound class of phospholanes (Phos) it belongs to. |
FOOF | Dioxygen difluoride, O2F2, an extremely unstable compound which reacts explosively with most other substances – the nickname "FOOF" is a play on its formula. [47] |
Furfuryl furfurate | The name of the molecule is difficult to say fast. It has a strong odor and can be used as a polymerization inhibitor in the vapor phase. Its name is derived from the Latin word "furfur," which means "bran" (the source of the compound). Furfural alcohol, a related molecule, is reportedly used in the fabrication of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) sections used in the space shuttle. |
Gossypol | A toxin found in cottonseed used as a male oral contraceptive. [3] |
Methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl...isoleucine | The IUPAC name for Titin. This is the largest known protein and so has the longest chemical name. Written in full, it contains 189,819 letters. [48] |
Periplanone B | A pheromone of the female American cockroach. |
Thebacon | Dihydrocodeinone enol acetate, an opioid analgesic or antitussive. [ citation needed ] |
In organic chemistry, allenes are organic compounds in which one carbon atom has double bonds with each of its two adjacent carbon atoms. Allenes are classified as cumulated dienes. The parent compound of this class is propadiene, which is itself also called allene. A group of the structure R2C=C=CR− is called allenyl, while a substituent attached to an allene is referred to as an allenic substituent. In analogy to allylic and propargylic, a substituent attached to a saturated carbon α to an allene is referred to as an allenylic substituent. While allenes have two consecutive ('cumulated') double bonds, compounds with three or more cumulated double bonds are called cumulenes.
Ferrocene is an organometallic compound with the formula Fe(C5H5)2. The molecule is a complex consisting of two cyclopentadienyl rings sandwiching a central iron atom. It is an orange solid with a camphor-like odor that sublimes above room temperature, and is soluble in most organic solvents. It is remarkable for its stability: it is unaffected by air, water, strong bases, and can be heated to 400 °C without decomposition. In oxidizing conditions it can reversibly react with strong acids to form the ferrocenium cation Fe(C5H5)+2. Ferrocene and the ferrocenium cation are sometimes abbreviated as Fc and Fc+ respectively.
In chemistry, an enantiomer – also called optical isomer, antipode, or optical antipode – is one of two stereoisomers that are nonsuperposable onto their own mirror image. Enantiomers of each other are much like one's right and left hands; without mirroring one of them, hands cannot be superposed onto each other. It is solely a relationship of chirality and the permanent three-dimensional relationships among molecules or other chemical structures: no amount of re-orientiation of a molecule as a whole or conformational change converts one chemical into its enantiomer. Chemical structures with chirality rotate plane-polarized light. A mixture of equal amounts of each enantiomer, a racemic mixture or a racemate, does not rotate light.
In chemistry, a trivial name is a non-systematic name for a chemical substance. That is, the name is not recognized according to the rules of any formal system of chemical nomenclature such as IUPAC inorganic or IUPAC organic nomenclature. A trivial name is not a formal name and is usually a common name.
In chemistry, a molecule or ion is called chiral if it cannot be superposed on its mirror image by any combination of rotations, translations, and some conformational changes. This geometric property is called chirality. The terms are derived from Ancient Greek χείρ (cheir) 'hand'; which is the canonical example of an object with this property.
1,10-Phenanthroline (phen) is a heterocyclic organic compound. It is a white solid that is soluble in organic solvents. The 1,10 refer to the location of the nitrogen atoms that replace CH's in the hydrocarbon called phenanthrene.
Tröger's base is a white solid tetracyclic organic compound. Its chemical formula is (CH
3C
6H
3NCH
2)
2CH
2. Tröger's base and its analogs are soluble in various organic solvents and strong acidic aqueous solutions due to their protonation. It is named after Julius Tröger, who first synthesized it in 1887.
Neopentane, also called 2,2-dimethylpropane, is a double-branched-chain alkane with five carbon atoms. Neopentane is a flammable gas at room temperature and pressure which can condense into a highly volatile liquid on a cold day, in an ice bath, or when compressed to a higher pressure.
Prismane or 'Ladenburg benzene' is a polycyclic hydrocarbon with the formula C6H6. It is an isomer of benzene, specifically a valence isomer. Prismane is far less stable than benzene. The carbon (and hydrogen) atoms of the prismane molecule are arranged in the shape of a six-atom triangular prism—this compound is the parent and simplest member of the prismanes class of molecules. Albert Ladenburg proposed this structure for the compound now known as benzene. The compound was not synthesized until 1973.
Organozinc chemistry is the study of the physical properties, synthesis, and reactions of organozinc compounds, which are organometallic compounds that contain carbon (C) to zinc (Zn) chemical bonds.
In organometallic chemistry, a sandwich compound is a chemical compound featuring a metal bound by haptic, covalent bonds to two arene (ring) ligands. The arenes have the formula CnHn, substituted derivatives and heterocyclic derivatives. Because the metal is usually situated between the two rings, it is said to be "sandwiched". A special class of sandwich complexes are the metallocenes.
The Kulinkovich reaction describes the organic synthesis of substituted cyclopropanols through reaction of esters with dialkyldialkoxytitanium reagents, which are generated in situ from Grignard reagents containing a hydrogen in beta-position and titanium(IV) alkoxides such as titanium isopropoxide. This reaction was first reported by Oleg Kulinkovich and coworkers in 1989.
ChemSpider is a freely accessible online database of chemicals owned by the Royal Society of Chemistry. It contains information on more than 100 million molecules from over 270 data sources, each of them receiving a unique identifier called ChemSpider Identifier.
1,2-Bis(dimethylarsino)benzene (diars) is the organoarsenic compound with the formula C6H4(As(CH3)2)2. The molecule consists of two dimethylarsino groups attached to adjacent carbon centers of a benzene ring. It is a chelating ligand in coordination chemistry. This colourless oil is commonly abbreviated "diars."
[2.2.2]Cryptand is the organic compound with the formula N(CH2CH2OCH2CH2OCH2CH2)3N. This bicyclic molecule is the most studied member of the cryptand family of chelating agents. It is a white solid. Many analogous compounds are known. Their high affinity for alkali metal cations illustrates the advantages of "preorganization", a concept within the area of supramolecular chemistry.
In organic chemistry, diazirines are a class of organic molecules consisting of a carbon bound to two nitrogen atoms, which are double-bonded to each other, forming a cyclopropene-like ring, 3H-diazirine. They are isomeric with diazocarbon groups, and like them can serve as precursors for carbenes by loss of a molecule of dinitrogen. For example, irradiation of diazirines with ultraviolet light leads to carbene insertion into various C−H, N−H, and O−H bonds. Hence, diazirines have grown in popularity as small, photo-reactive, crosslinking reagents. They are often used in photoaffinity labeling studies to observe a variety of interactions, including ligand-receptor, ligand-enzyme, protein-protein, and protein-nucleic acid interactions.
RTI(-4229)-274, or 2β-( methyl)-3α-(4-fluorophenyl)
Dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC); also known as constitutional dynamic chemistry (CDC) is a method to the generation of new molecules formed by reversible reaction of simple building blocks under thermodynamic control. The library of these reversibly interconverting building blocks is called a dynamic combinatorial library (DCL). All constituents in a DCL are in equilibrium, and their distribution is determined by their thermodynamic stability within the DCL. The interconversion of these building blocks may involve covalent or non-covalent interactions. When a DCL is exposed to an external influence, the equilibrium shifts and those components that interact with the external influence are stabilised and amplified, allowing more of the active compound to be formed.
In organic chemistry, the Lombardo methylenation is a name reaction that allows for the methylenation of carbonyl compounds with the use of Lombardo's reagent, which is a mix of zinc, dibromomethane, and titanium tetrachloride.
An arsinide, arsanide, dihydridoarsenate(1−) or arsanyl compound is a chemical derivative of arsine, where one hydrogen atom is replaced with a metal or cation. The arsinide ion has formula AsH−2. It can be considered as a ligand with name arsenido or arsanido. Few chemists study arsanyl compounds, as they are both toxic and unstable. The IUPAC names are arsanide and dihydridoarsenate(1−). For the ligand the name is arsanido. The neutral −AsH2 group is termed arsanyl.
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