Question

Write the nomenclature of the following compound

Answer 1

The nomenclature of an organic compound is based on the set of rules devised by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and all the organic molecules are named accordingly. The longest chain is the parent chain and the functional group is added as a prefix.

Complete step-by-step answer: As per the rules of IUPAC, for the nomenclature of the organic molecules, at first the carbon chain containing the highest number of carbon atoms is chosen. Then the carbon atoms are numbered as per the substituents present in the carbon chain and the numbering starts from that end which has the higher priority functional group or substituent. The numbering of the substituent is done alphabetically and the name of the compound is written accordingly. Based on the above considerations, the name of the above compound is,
3-Bromo 2-Chloro pentane.
The Bromo group comes prior to the chloro group as the naming of the substituents is done alphabetically, but the numbering of the substituents is done from that end of the carbon chain which is closer to the substituents.

Note: As per the rules of nomenclature of the organic compounds, the functional groups are named as per their order of priority and if there are more than one functional groups present in the molecules, the one with higher priority will be the main functional group while the other one/ones will become the substituent in the molecule. For example, in presence of both carboxylic acid group and alcoholic group in the molecule, the carboxylic group will behave as the functional group while the alcoholic group will behave as the substituent in the molecule.