Classification is the process of organizing organisms into hierarchically inclusive groups based on their phenotypic similarities or evolutionary relationships. A species comprises one or more strains, and closely related species are grouped into genera. Genera are further classified into families, families into orders, orders into classes, and so forth, up to the domain level, which is the broadest taxonomic rank derived from a combination of phenotypic and genotypic data.The nomenclature of...

During the development of a new pharmaceutical, the manufacturer initially assigns a code name to the drug. Once approved, the drug receives a United States Adopted Name (USAN)—a generic, nonproprietary designation. Upon being listed in the United States Pharmacopeia, this nonproprietary name becomes the drug's official name. Additionally, the manufacturer assigns a proprietary name or trademark, which serves as the brand name under which the drug is marketed. It is worth noting that the same...

The secondary and tertiary amines are derivatives of ammonia, where two and three of its hydrogens are replaced by alkyl groups, respectively. Secondary and tertiary amines can be symmetrical with identical alkyl groups attached to the nitrogen atom or unsymmetrical when more than one type of alkyl group is present. The standard nomenclature of secondary and tertiary amines is similar to the names given to the primary amines. They are generally named alkylamines. As depicted in Figure 1, for...

Naming Acid Halides
The IUPAC and common names of acid halides are derived from the corresponding carboxylic acids, by changing “ic acid” to “yl halide.” For example, as shown below, the IUPAC name ethanoyl chloride is derived from ethanoic acid, and the common name, acetyl chloride, is obtained from acetic acid.

The simplest aromatic amine is phenylamine, which contains an –NH2 functionality directly attached to an aromatic ring. The name aniline is designated for this skeleton. As shown in Figure 1, the common names of the functionalized anilines involve prefixes ortho-, meta-, and para- to indicate the substitution position. Different functionalized aniline derivatives also have notable trivial names.

Naming Amides
The IUPAC and common names of amides are derived from the parent carboxylic acid, by replacing the suffix “oic acid” and “ic acid,” respectively, with “amide.” In the following example, the IUPAC name ethanamide is derived from ethanoic acid, and the common name, acetamide, is obtained from acetic acid.