Wize University Organic Chemistry Textbook > Aromaticity (Arenes)
Reactions Overview and Key Ideas
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Summary Sheet: Aromaticity and Related Reactions
Naming Aromatic Rings
As a reminder, remember the General Naming Rules:
- Identify and name the longest carbon chain
- If present, assign stereochemistry (R/S or E/Z)
- Identify and name any substituents on the carbon chain
- Give these substituents the appropriate 'address'
- Add substituent names as a prefix to the carbon chain
- Change suffix of the carbon chain if necessary (for functional groups)
Most of the time you'll be naming benzene derivatives, using benzene as the centre and naming the substituents coming off. Benzene has 6 carbons, and therefore has 6 positions. Take for example the following compounds:
But, we like to complicate things in chemistry by introducing different names. Enter the ortho (1,2-substitution), meta (1,3-substitution) and para (1,4-substitution) notation. We can use these terms in place of the numbering. Especially since benzene is planar so the numbering doesn't matter. For example, the middle compound above (1-chloro-2-methylbenzene) can be rewritten as ortho-chloromethylbenzene.
Aromatic rings can be substituents on a carbon chain, for example in the following compounds shown below. This is only the case when the aromatic group is a lower priority than the main carbon chain.
