How Do You Name This Compound According to IUPAC Rules?

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on the complexities of naming organic compounds according to IUPAC rules, specifically addressing the 'lowest sum rule' and its applicability to aliphatic compounds. Participants debate whether all substituents should be considered when determining the numbering of carbon atoms. Two contrasting articles from Chemistry LibreTexts and the University of Calgary are referenced, highlighting differing perspectives on the validity of summing locants in nomenclature. The consensus leans towards prioritizing the highest priority substituent for lower numbering, questioning the traditional lowest sum approach.

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  • Familiarity with organic compound structures
  • Knowledge of substituent priority in organic chemistry
  • Experience using chemical databases like PubChem or SciFinder
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  • Explore the differences between naming aliphatic and cyclic compounds
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  • Study the principles of substituent priority in organic chemistry
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Chemistry students, organic chemists, educators, and anyone involved in the naming and classification of organic compounds will benefit from this discussion.

CroSinus
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Homework Statement


Name the following compound according to the IUPAC rules:
001A2.jpg

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


001a3RJESENJE ZA A.jpg

Comment on my attempt, please.
 

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CroSinus said:

Homework Statement


Name the following compound according to the IUPAC rules:View attachment 228511

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


View attachment 228512
Comment on my attempt, please.
You select the end from which the more substituted carbon comes first. So which end is it?
Also, you don't need to do the sum for aliphatic compounds, that's only for cyclic compounds.
 
Strange rules. Would not be better if I took into consideration all substituents? In other words shouldn't I pay attention to the sum of all substituents?
Well, strange rules!

Thank you for helping me.
Cro
 
Actually, your doubt prompted me to do a bit of a search on it, and I'm astounded too.
https://chem.libretexts.org/LibreTexts/Athabasca_University/Chemistry_350:_Organic_Chemistry_I/Chapter_4:_Organic_Compounds:_Cycloalkanes_and_their_Stereochemistry/4.1_Naming_Cycloalkanes
http://www.chem.ucalgary.ca/courses/351/WebContent/orgnom/main/dontsum.html
Here, we have 2 articles, both from trusted sites, Chemistry LibreTexts and University of Calgary.
The first says that 'summing locants' is valid, while the other says that there is no such thing anywhere in the IUPAC nomenclature (even if we've been taught so elsewhere!) and also provides a valid justification for it.
Logically speaking, it makes sense that the higher priority substituent should get the lower number, and that should be it; which questions the validity of the 'lowest sum rule' altogether! The UCalgary standpoint appeals to me more.This needs attention from another expert. Discuss this anomaly with your professor
 
I don't spend much time on IUPAC (I've mentioned before on this forum that I think a lot of the conventions are illogical and unhelpful). That said, if I have to name a compound, I usually cheat by going to some chemical database that names the compounds automatically (PubChem, SciFinder, and Sigma are all pretty good). In this case, I used the PubChem structure search, which returned this little nugget:
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/23333527
 
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