Question

what are primary and secondary suffixes as applied to IUPAC Nomenclature

Answer 1

Dear User,

The primary suffix is the words added to the root word to show saturation or unsaturation i.e. presence of a single, double or triple bond in a carbon chain. For eg., if we take a saturated carbon with 4 carbon atoms then the primary suffix is -ane. The root word in case of 4 carbons is But-. Therefore the IUPAC name will be Butane.
The secondary suffix is words added after the primary suffix to indicate the presence of a functional group ( like an aldehydic group, ketonic group, alcoholic group, etc) in the carbon chain. The terminal 'e' of the primary suffix is usually removed before attaching the secondary suffix. For eg., if functional group alcohol (secondary suffix -ol) is attached to Butane then its IUPAC name would be Butanol.

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