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List of hydrocarbon prefixes

The following table shows the prefixes for hydrocarbons with 1-10 carbon atoms present in the longest carbon chain. Note that only the prefix is shown in the second column and that the whole name includes the suffix, which for hydrocarbons depend on whether double or triple bonds are present in the compound.

There are 3 columns that list the number of carbon atoms in the longest carbon chain, the prefix, and an example compound. If a molecule has 1 carbon atom, then the prefix is M E T H, for example, methane. If a molecule has 2 carbon atoms, then the prefix is E T H, for example, ethene. If a molecule has 3 carbon atoms, then the prefix is P R O P, for example, propyne. If a molecule has 4 carbon atoms, then the prefix is B U T, for example, 1-butene. If a molecule has 5 carbon atoms, then the prefix is P E N T, for example, pentane. If a molecule has 6 carbon atoms, then the prefix is H E X, for example, 3-hexyne. If a molecule has 7 carbon atoms, then the prefix is H E P T, for example, 2-heptene. If a molecule has 8 carbon atoms, then the prefix is O C T, for example, octane. If a molecule has 9 carbon atoms, then the prefix is N O N, for example, 1-nonyne. If a molecule has 10 carbon atoms, then the prefix is D E C, for example, 4-decene.

Figure 1. List of prefixes in names of hydrocarbons and examples of complete names.

Referred from:

Article
Hydrocarbon prefixes
Article
Hydrocarbon side groups