Abstract

Names for chemical substances have developed from terms based on their source, properties, or effects into an elaborate system in which names encode precise information about chemical structures. Nomenclature in inorganic chemistry developed first; it is primarily concerned with elemental composition and with ionic and oxidation states. Organic nomenclature at first followed the inorganic pattern, but diverged from it because of the importance of connectivity and isomerism in organic compounds. The present system of organic nomenclature is based on the principles of the Geneva Conference of 1892, developed and expanded by international conferences and commissions into the nomenclature recommended by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). The nomenclatures of inorganic, organic, and macromolecular chemistry and of biochemistry are in a continuing state of development; new recommendations from international bodies are published in appropriate journals, such as Pure and Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry. Rules and recommendations are collected in book form at intervals. Computer interactions with different aspects of nomenclature that began during the later years of the twentieth century have increased enormously during the last decade.