A carbon compound has three carbon atoms in its chain and contains a ketone functional group. What is its IUP…

Question

A carbon compound has three carbon atoms in its chain and contains a ketone functional group. What is its IUPAC name? Show the reasoning steps you used to arrive at the name.

Accepted Answer

## Model Answer **Reasoning Steps:** 1. The compound has **3 carbon atoms** → base name is **propane**. 2. The functional group is a **ketone** → suffix is **"-one"** (Table 4.4). 3. Since "-one" begins with a vowel, drop the final **'e'** from propane: Propan**e** − 'e' + **one** = **Propanone** **IUPAC Name: Propanone** *Source: Chapter 4, Section 4.2.5 — Nomenclature of Carbon Compounds* --- ## Explanation Examiners award **1 mark for correct reasoning** (identifying base chain + applying suffix rule) and **1 mark for the correct IUPAC name**. The key rule to remember: when a suffix starts with a vowel (like "-ol", "-al", "-one"), drop the final 'e' of the parent chain name before adding it. Writing the steps clearly secures full marks even if the final name has a minor slip.

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