Laura has a Masters of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition and has taught college Science.
In chemistry we often refer to the 'IUPAC name'. But what is this name? How was it decided that this name is the 'official' name? What is the IUPAC?
IUPAC stands for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. It is an international organization which sets specific standards in chemistry in order to maintain consistency from one chemist to another. This allows chemists to talk to each other and always understand exactly what the other chemist is talking about.
In the 1800s the study of chemistry, as it is known today, began. But as scientists shared their discoveries with one another, it was difficult to know exactly what each scientist was talking about. Scientific journals had no specific method for talking about chemicals, nor did they have methodologies for testing chemicals.
In 1911 the IUPAC's predecessor, the International Association of Chemical Societies, discussed what needed to be standardized within the field of chemistry. In 1919 the IUPAC was organized as a chemistry standardization organization. It was also set up as a group through which chemists could collaborate in order to further chemical knowledge.
One of the main accomplishments of IUPAC was standardizing chemical language, processes, and procedures. They also encourage scientific research by receiving and reviewing chemistry proposals, support and backing those accepted.
When IUPAC was first organized there was a list of issues that needed to be addressed:
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Today IUPAC has met all of these goals. We have a standardized weight for each of the elements, a specific number for Avogadro's number, and many other standards based on the work of IUPAC. There is a name for each molecule that any chemist can use to determine the structure of the molecule, based simply on the name.
Nomenclature isn't the only thing that IUPAC has developed, but it is one of the most well-known purposes of IUPAC. When we say 'the IUPAC name of this chemical is…' we are referring to the name of the chemical based on IUPAC naming guidelines. Nomenclature refers to the systematic naming guidelines of a compound.
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These rules include determining the parent chain, the order in which to name substituents, and what name each substituent receives. Many compounds have common names; for example, vinegar is also called acetic acid. Neither one of these names tell us much about the structure of the compound. But the IUPAC name, ethanoic acid, tells us exactly what the chemical structure of the compound is. The 'ethan' tells us that the compound has a 2 carbon chain, and 'oic acid' tells us that the chain starts with a carboxylic acid group. So we know that the chemical formula is: CH3 COOH. As long as we understand the IUPAC nomenclature, we can also determine the compound's structure.
IUPAC, or the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, is the organization which standardizes naming, measurements, constants, and scientific research within the chemistry world. It started in 1919 based upon a set of requirements determined by its precursor, the International Association of Chemical Societies.
One of the things that IUPAC is most known for is nomenclature, or systematic naming of chemical compounds. The IUPAC nomenclature allows chemists to know the structure of a compound based simply on its name.
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Ohio Assessments for Educators - Integrated Science (024): Practice & Study Guide29 chapters | 339 lessons | 24 flashcard sets
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