7.9: Nitriles, RCN
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1. Compounds with the \(\equiv N\) function are named by adding the suffix nitrile to the main-chain hydrocarbon that includes the carbon linked to the nitrile (\(\equiv N\)) function. The chain is numbered so the \(CN\) carbon is \(C1\):
2. Compounds of the type \(RCN\) have to be called carbonitriles when \(R\) is a cycloalkane or similar group:
3. Nitriles can be regarded as derivatives of carboxylic acids because the acid, \(RCO_2H\), usually can be obtained from the nitrile, \(RCN\):
A common system of naming nitriles takes the name of the corresponding carboxylic acid and changes the suffix -oic to -onitrile:
4. The substituent name for \(-CN\) is cyano. For example,
Contributors and Attributions
John D. Robert and Marjorie C. Caserio (1977) Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry, second edition. W. A. Benjamin, Inc. , Menlo Park, CA. ISBN 0-8053-8329-8. This content is copyrighted under the following conditions, "You are granted permission for individual, educational, research and non-commercial reproduction, distribution, display and performance of this work in any format."