What is this counting system called?

Question

Eth, Meth, Pro, Bu, Pen (maybe Pent), Hex, Hep, Oct (maybe Octa) etc..?

Answer 1

The first few are just idiomatic:

methane
ethane
propane
butane

The following seem to have ancient greek prefixes:

pentane
hexane
heptane
octane
nonane

However, if it truly followed convention the list should it be either sex- and sept-, or ennea-? Mixing hex/hept with non is bad. But this is the standard adopted by the international committee!

The fact that these words have entered the international scientific vocabulary makes word origins difficult to trace, especially the saturated hydrocarbons (-anes). The suffix for the unsaturated carbons (-enes) is of Greek origin, while other chemical compound suffixes like -ine is of Latin origin, and -one is perhaps Greek. Therefore, it may be idiomatic that there may be some inconsistency about the prefixes! And by the way, the eleven-carbon saturated hydrocardon is known as "UNdecane"...

Of course, the standard answer I've actually heard from several mathematicians with regard to IUPAC's inconsistent nomenclature is, "What do you expect from a group of chemists!"

Answer 2

Eth, Meth, Prop, But come from a different source than the rest, Pent, Hex, Oct ...

The IUPAC are the ones that determine that chemical compound names. Not sure why they decided to mix and match.

The rest including mono, di, tri, quadr, pent, hex, hept ... Are numeric roots from the Greek.

Answer 3

(You should switch Meth and Eth.)

From Pent- on it is Greek.

This system is used for the naming of organic chemical compounds.

The first four alkanes,

methane (CH4)
ethane (CH3CH3)
propane (CH3CH2CH3)
butane (CH3CH2CH2CH3)

are used so much in chemistry that you would never be able to change them into, say "tetrane". Therefore these names were kept. Longer strings of carbon and hydrogen are named using Greek numbers.

pentane (CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3)
etc.

This, plus much more, is officially recorded in the IUCAP conventions, used by chemists all over the world.

Answer 4

Ancient Greek

Answer 5

this is IUPAC system of nomenclature of alkanes(saturated hydrocarbons)