This system the name of a carbon compound has three main parts as mentioned below
Wood Root
This denotes the number of carbon atoms present in a given molecule. For e.g., C1-Meth, C2- Eth, C3 - Prop, C4- But.
Suffix
The suffix denotes the type of bonds or the functional group present in the carbon chain, e.g.
'ane' - (single bond)
'ol' for alcohols -(-OH)
'ene' (double bond)
'al' for aldehydes - (-CHO)
'yne' - (triple bond)
'oic acid' for carboxylic acid - (-COOH)
Prefix
This denotes the presence of other functional groups and their position. For e.g., the following compound can be named as:
Word root: But (C4)
Prefix: 3, chloro
Suffix: -ol
Name: 3-chloro butanol
Note carbon atoms are numbered from the side of the functional group (-OH in this case). The IUPAC names along with trivial names and formula of some organic compounds are given in the following table: