Functional group

In organic chemistry functional groups are submolecular structural motifs, characterized by specific elemental composition and connectivity, that confer reactivity upon the molecule that contains them.

Common functional groups include:

 Term                 Formula                          prefix                           suffix

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 amine                R-NH2                            amino-                             -amine

 carboxylic acid      R-C(=O)OH                        hydrocarboxy-                      -oic acid

 alcohol              R-OH                             hydroxy-                           -ol

 aldehyde?             R-C(=O)H                                                           -al

 ketone               R-C(=O)-R'                      keto-                              -one

 ester                R-C(=O)O-R'                      named according to the parent alcohol and acid, respectively:  alkyl alkanoate

 ether                R-O-R'                           named according to the parent alcohols, respectively:  alkylalkylether

 amide                R-C(=O)N(-H)-R'                  name according to the parent amine and acid, respectively:  alkyl alkanamide

 alkene               R-CH=CH-R'                      convert the part substituting for alk in the name of the alkane into the alk of the word alkene:  ethane/ethene, propane/propene, butane/butene, etc.

 alkyne               R-CC-R'                         convert the part substituting for alk in the name of the alkane into the alk of the word alkyne:  ethane/ethyne, propane/propyne, butane/butyne, etc.

 phosphodiester?       R-OP(=O)2O-R'

 phenyl?               R-C6H6

 pyridyl              R-C5H5N

 methyl               R-C3                               methyl-
 (similarly for higher alkyl substituents:  ethyl, propyl, butyl, etc.)

Combining the names of functional groups with the names of the parent alkanes generates a powerful systematic nomenclature? for naming organic compounds.

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