Trivial names, acyclic derivatives

When side chains of two or more different kinds are attached to a cyclic component, only the senior side chain is named by the conjunctive method. The remaining side chains are named as prefixes. Likewise, when there is a choice of cyclic component, the senior is chosen. Benzene derivatives may be named by the conjunctive method only when two or more identical side chains are present. Trivial names for oxo carboxylic acids may be used for the acyclic component. If the cyclic and acyclic components are joined by a double bond, the locants of this bond are placed as superscripts to a Greek capital delta that is inserted between the two names. The locant for the cyclic component precedes that for the acyclic component, e.g., indene-A - -acetic acid. 

Alkanes. The saturated open-chain (acyclic) hydrocarbons (Cyd +2) have names ending in -ane. The first four members have the trivial names methane (CH4), ethane (CH3CH3 or C2H6), propane (C3H8), and butane (C4H10). For the remainder of the alkanes, the first portion of the name is derived from the Greek prefix (see Table 11.4) that cites the number of carbons in the alkane followed by -ane with elision of the terminal -a from the prefix, as shown in Table 1.1. 

Acyclic terpenes and tetramethylcyclohexane-type representatives are named systematically. Unsaturated derivatives of the above trivially named systems are characterized in the usual way, e.g. 3-p-menthene, 2,5-norbornadiene etc. 

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