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Aldehydes

Aldehydes are a family of organic compounds that contain the carbonyl functional group, -CO-, and in which the carbonyl group is bonded to at least one hydrogen. The general formula for an aldehyde is RCHO, where R is hydrogen or an alkyl group.

When naming aldehydes:

  1. Identify the longest continuous chain of carbons with the carbonyl carbon as part of the chain.

  2. Number the carbon chain so that the carbonyl carbon is always number one.

  3. Locate and identify alphebetically the branched groups by prefixing the carbon number it is attached to. If more than one of the same type of branched group is involved use the prefixes di for 2, tri for three, etc.

  4. After identifying the name, number and location of each branched group, use the alkane name that represents the number of carbons in the continuous chain.

  5. Change the "e" ending and replace it with -al.

    Example:

       H
   |
   C=O
   |
   H
    methanal
    		 
       CH3
   |
   C=O
   |
   H
    ethanal
    		 
       CH3CH2
      |
      C=O
      |
      H
    propanal
    		 
          CH3
      |
   CH3CH
      |
      C=O
      |
      H
    2-methylpropanal