[kenny1999]

for a ketone - propanone, is it also valid to name it as "propan-1-one"??

ok I understand that propanone is the best name.

but how about the following compound?



it states that the name is 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-2-one.

however, i don't understand why "2" is necessary to insert between "butan" and "one"
, in this compound (ketone) i can't think of any way else to connect the double bond O atom to the compound otherwise than number 2 carbon.

[Honclbrif]

"for a ketone - propanone, is it also valid to name it as "propan-1-one"??"

No, that would be propanal.

As for the second question, as far as I know, propanone and butanone are the only ketones where you do not have to specify the position of the carbonyl. You probably could get away calling it "3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-one"

[Orthocelsus]

As Honclbrif says, you can never have a "1-alkanone". A carbonyl group on the end of a molecule automatically makes that molecule an aldehyde.

There's a good reason for differentiating between ketones and aldehydes, because even though they both contain a carbonyl ground and show some similar carbonyl chemistry, the terminal position of the C=O gives aldehydes some special properties.

Your 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-2-one is perfectly correct, if a little fussy. Most organic chemists would be able to figure out where everything went if you omitted the "-2-" locator for the carbonyl group. But for the sake of academic test-taking, I'd leave the locator in.

If the compound were

(CH₃)₂COHCH₂CHO

It would be 3-Hydroxy-3-methylbutanal

[kenny1999]

As Honclbrif says, you can never have a "1-alkanone". A carbonyl group on the end of a molecule automatically makes that molecule an aldehyde.

There's a good reason for differentiating between ketones and aldehydes, because even though they both contain a carbonyl ground and show some similar carbonyl chemistry, the terminal position of the C=O gives aldehydes some special properties.

Your 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-2-one is perfectly correct, if a little fussy. Most organic chemists would be able to figure out where everything went if you omitted the "-2-" locator for the carbonyl group. But for the sake of academic test-taking, I'd leave the locator in.

If the compound were

(CH₃)₂COHCH₂CHO

It would be 3-Hydroxy-3-methylbutanal

excuse me

yes, I am taking some standard chemistry tests so I hope to know the naming in a more standard way

refer to my question before



with the name  3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-2-one

Although you said that the name is perfectly correct , I just doubt if it is true.

My reason is that while propanone we won't use propan-1-one because it is not necessary to do so.

As a result, I also think that -2- is not necessary because in this case C=O must be placed in carbon numbered "2" because of the presence of other substitute (-OH and -CH3)

so to put it simply, which one is more correct / standard?

 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-2-one

or

 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutanone

??