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Synthesis
‘Bastard’ Nomenclature
June 30, 2008
| A version of this story appeared in
Volume 86, Issue 26
I was delighted to read of the carbonyl allylations discovered by Michael Krische, a former colleague of mine (C&EN, May 12, page 10). However, I was not so pleased to see “isopropanol” listed as a source of hydrogen for one variant of this reaction. Isopropanol is “bastard” nomenclature, combining elements of IUPAC and common nomenclature. Its use should be avoided, particularly in a science-oriented publication such as C&EN.
Jack Gilbert
Santa Clara, Calif.
Editor’s Note
Editor’s Note: Gilbert is correct, of course, it should have been 2-propanol. C&EN’s own style guide has an extended section on chemical nomenclature, with a part devoted to the names of alcohols. It concludes, “Some commonly used names of alcohols confuse the two systems, are always incorrect, and should never be used in C&EN. Examples include isopropanol, isobutanol,” Sigh.
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