The IUPAC Nomenclature for Transformations is a

methodology In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for br ...

for naming a

chemical reaction A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Classically, chemical reactions encompass changes that only involve the positions of electrons in the forming and breaking ...

. Traditionally a chemical reaction especially in

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J ...

is named after its inventor, the so-called name reaction, to name just a few:

Knoevenagel condensation In organic chemistry, the Knoevenagel condensation () reaction is a type of chemical reaction named after German chemist Emil Knoevenagel. It is a modification of the aldol condensation. A Knoevenagel condensation is a nucleophilic addition of ...

Wittig reaction The Wittig reaction or Wittig olefination is a chemical reaction of an aldehyde or ketone with a triphenyl phosphonium ylide called a Wittig reagent. Wittig reactions are most commonly used to convert aldehydes and ketones to alkenes. Mos ...

or Diels-Alder reaction. A lot of reactions derive their name from the reagent involved like

bromination In chemistry, halogenation is a chemical reaction that entails the introduction of one or more halogens into a compound. Halide-containing compounds are pervasive, making this type of transformation important, e.g. in the production of polymer ...

acylation In chemistry, acylation (or alkanoylation) is the chemical reaction in which an acyl group () is added to a compound. The compound providing the acyl group is called the acylating agent. Because they form a strong electrophile when treated with ...

. On rare occasions, the reaction is named after the company responsible like in the Wacker process or the name only hints at the process involved like in the

halogen dance rearrangement The halogen dance rearrangement is an organic reaction in which a halogen substituent moves to a new position on an aromatic ring system. The reaction belongs to a class of organic reactions called 1,2-rearrangements. The original halogen dance is ...

. The related

IUPAC nomenclature A chemical nomenclature is a set of rules to generate systematic names for chemical compounds. The nomenclature used most frequently worldwide is the one created and developed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Th ...

is designed for naming organic compounds themselves. The IUPAC Nomenclature for Transformations was developed in 1981 and presents a clear-cut methodology for naming an organic reaction. It incorporates the reactant and product in a

chemical transformation A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., with ...

together with one of three transformation types: * substitutions have the infix ''-de-'' example: methoxy-de-bromination for the chemical reaction of a bromo-alkane to an alkoxy-alkane * additions end with ''-addition'' example: hydro-bromo-addition for the hydrobromination of an alkene * eliminations. end with ''-elimination'' example: dibromo-elimination.

Notes and references

* * {{Reflist, 2 Chemical nomenclature Chemical reactions