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In chemistry
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
 and zoology
Zoology

Zoology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of animals. The most common pronunciation of "zoology" is ; however, an alternative pronunciation is ....
, a trivial name (also a common name
Common name

A common name is a name in general use within a community . A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name.Many of the conventions and traditions described in this article are based on the English language, and thus may not apply to common names in other languages....
 or vernacular name) is a non-systematic name
Systematic name

There are millions of possible objects that can be described in science, too many to create common names for every one. As a response, a number of systems of systematic names have been created....
 or non-scientific name. That is, the name is not recognised according to the rules of any formal (e.g. IUPAC
IUPAC nomenclature

IUPAC nomenclature is a system of naming chemical compounds and of describing the science of chemistry in general. It is developed and kept up to date under the auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry ....
) system of nomenclature. Many trivial names continue to be used because their sanctioned equivalents are considered too cumbersome for everyday use. For example, "tartaric acid
Tartaric acid

Tartaric acid is a white crystalline organic acid. It occurs naturally in many plants, particularly grapes, bananas, and tamarinds, and is one of the main acids found in wine....
", a compound found in wine
Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
, has a systematic name of 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid.






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In chemistry
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
 and zoology
Zoology

Zoology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of animals. The most common pronunciation of "zoology" is ; however, an alternative pronunciation is ....
, a trivial name (also a common name
Common name

A common name is a name in general use within a community . A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name.Many of the conventions and traditions described in this article are based on the English language, and thus may not apply to common names in other languages....
 or vernacular name) is a non-systematic name
Systematic name

There are millions of possible objects that can be described in science, too many to create common names for every one. As a response, a number of systems of systematic names have been created....
 or non-scientific name. That is, the name is not recognised according to the rules of any formal (e.g. IUPAC
IUPAC nomenclature

IUPAC nomenclature is a system of naming chemical compounds and of describing the science of chemistry in general. It is developed and kept up to date under the auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry ....
) system of nomenclature. Many trivial names continue to be used because their sanctioned equivalents are considered too cumbersome for everyday use. For example, "tartaric acid
Tartaric acid

Tartaric acid is a white crystalline organic acid. It occurs naturally in many plants, particularly grapes, bananas, and tamarinds, and is one of the main acids found in wine....
", a compound found in wine
Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
, has a systematic name of 2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic acid. Similarly, the fish known as the tiger muskellunge is formally known as Esox masquinongy x Esox lucius.

Trivial names often have their roots in the common language; in chemistry they may come from historic usages in, for example, alchemy
Alchemy

Alchemy , a part of the Occult Tradition, is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties....
. Many trivial names pre-date the institution of formal naming conventions. Frequently, trivial names derive from some notable property of the thing being named.

Trivial names, generally, are not useful in describing the essential properties of the thing being named such as the molecular structure of a chemical compound or the phylogenetic relationships of organisms. In some cases, trivial names can be ambiguous or will carry different meanings in different industries or in different geographic regions. On the other hand, systematic names can be so convoluted and difficult to parse that the trivial name is preferred. For example, the most important structural feature of Diazonamide is that it's a nonribosomal peptide
Peptide

Peptides are short polymers formed from the linking, in a defined order, of a-amino acids. The link between one amino acid residue and the next is known as an amide chemical bond or a peptide bond....
, which is denoted by the suffix "amide
Amide

In chemistry, an amide is one of three kinds of compounds:* the organic chemistry functional group characterized by a carbonyl group linked to a nitrogen atom , or a compound that contains this functional group ; or...
".

Examples


Organic chemistry

  • tert-Amyl alcohol
    Amyl alcohol

    Amyl alcohol is an organic compound with the formula C5H12O. All eight isomers of amyl alcohol are known:|+Isomers of amyl alcohol...
     — 2-Methylbutan-2-ol
  • Carbolic acid — Phenol
    Phenol

    Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, is a toxic, white crystalline solid with a sweet tarry odor, commonly referred to as a "hospital smell"....
  • Chloroform
    Chloroform

    Chloroform, also known as trichloromethane and methyl trichloride, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CarbonHydrogenChlorine3....
     — Trichloromethane
  • Chloroprene
    Chloroprene

    Chloroprene is the common name for the organic compound 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene, which has the chemical formula CH2=CCl-CH=CH2....
     — 2-Chloro-1,3-butadiene
  • Freon
    Freon

    Freon is DuPont's trade name for its odorless, colorless, nonflammable, and noncorrosive chlorofluorocarbon and hydrochlorofluorocarbon refrigerants, which are used in air conditioning, refrigeration and some automatic fire-fighting systems....
     — Chlorofluorocarbon
  • Isopropyl alcohol
    Isopropyl alcohol

    Isopropyl alcohol is a common name for isopropanol, a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor. It has the molecular formula C3H7OH and is the simplest example of a Alcohol#Primary.2C secondary.2C and tertiary alcohols, where the alcohol carbon is attached to two other carbons....
     — Propan-2-ol
  • Pinacolone
    Pinacolone

    Pinacolone is an important ketone in organic chemistry. It is formed by the pinacol rearrangement of pinacol. It has an odour reminiscent of peppermint and was discovered in 1866....
     — 3,3-Dimethylbutan-2-one
  • Caffeine
    Caffeine

    Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug and a mild diuretic. Caffeine was discovered by a German chemist, Friedrich Ferdinand Runge, in 1819....
     — 1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6(3H,7H)-dione
  • Cholesterol
    Cholesterol

    Cholesterol is a lipidic, waxy alcohol found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and membrane fluidity....
     — 10,13-dimethyl-17-(6-methylheptan-2-yl)-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol


Inorganic chemistry

  • Salt
    Salt

    A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
     — sodium chloride
  • Potash
    Potash

    Potash is the common name given to potassium carbonate and various mined and manufactured salts that contain the element potassium in water-soluble form....
     — potassium carbonate
    Potassium carbonate

    Potassium carbonate is a white salt, soluble in water , which forms a strongly alkaline solution. It can be made as the product of potassium hydroxide's absorbent reaction with carbon dioxide....
  • Caustic potash or Lye
    Lye

    Lye is a corrosive alkaline substance, commonly, sodium hydroxide . Previously, lye was among the many different alkalis leached from hardwood ashes....
     — potassium hydroxide
    Potassium hydroxide

    Potassium hydroxide is the inorganic compound with the formula potassiumhydroxide. Along with sodium hydroxide, this colourless solid is a prototypical "strong base"....
  • Soda ash — sodium carbonate
    Sodium carbonate

    Sodium carbonate , , is a sodium salt of carbonic acid. It most commonly occurs as a crystalline heptahydrate, which readily efflorescence to form a white powder, the monohydrate....
  • Caustic soda or Lye
    Lye

    Lye is a corrosive alkaline substance, commonly, sodium hydroxide . Previously, lye was among the many different alkalis leached from hardwood ashes....
     — sodium hydroxide
    Sodium hydroxide

    Sodium hydroxide , also known as lye, caustic soda and sodium hydrate, is a caustic metallic Base . Sodium hydroxide forms a strong alkaline solution when dissolved in a solvent such as water, however, only the hydroxide ion is basic....
  • Lime or unslaked lime or quicklime — calcium oxide
    Calcium oxide

    Calcium oxide , commonly known as burnt lime, Lime or quicklime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, Caustic and alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
  • Slaked lime or caustic lime — calcium hydroxide
    Calcium hydroxide

    Calcium hydroxide, traditionally called slaked lime, hydrated lime, or pickling lime, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Calcium2....
  • Muriatic acid — hydrochloric acid
    Hydrochloric acid

    Hydrochloric acid is the solution of hydrogen chloride in water. It is a highly corrosive, strong acid mineral acid and has major industrial uses....
  • Baking soda or bicarbonate of soda — sodium hydrogencarbonate
  • Epsom salt — hydrated magnesium sulfate
    Magnesium sulfate

    Magnesium sulfate is a chemical compound containing magnesium and sulfate, with the formula MgSO4. In its hydrated form the pH is 6.0 ....
  • Oil of Vitriol — sulfuric acid
    Sulfuric acid

    Sulfuric acid, hydrogen2sulfuroxygen4, is a strong mineral acid. It is soluble in water at all concentrations. Sulfuric acid has many applications, and is one of the top products of the chemical industry....
  • Water
    Water

    Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
     — hydrogen oxide


Zoology

  • Mountain lion or Cougar or Catamount - Puma concolor
  • Rainbow trout
    Rainbow trout

    The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America as well as much of the central, western, eastern, and especially the northern portions of the United States....
     or Steelhead - Oncorhynchus mykiss
  • Elk
    Elk

    Elk may refer to:* Various species of deer:** European Elk , also known as Moose** North American Elk , also known as Wapiti** Indian Elk , also known as sambar ...
     or Wapiti - Cervus canadensis
  • Brook trout
    Brook trout

    The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the Salmonidae family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail....
     or Speckled trout
    Speckled Trout

    Speckled trout may refer to:* Brook trout , a freshwater fish in the Salmonidae family* Spotted seatrout , a coastal saltwater or brackish water fish in the Sciaenidae family...
     - Salvelinus fontinalis


See also

  • Common name
    Common name

    A common name is a name in general use within a community . A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name.Many of the conventions and traditions described in this article are based on the English language, and thus may not apply to common names in other languages....
  • List of chemical compounds with unusual names
    List of chemical compounds with unusual names

    IUPAC nomenclature, replete as it is with chemical compound with complex names, is a repository for some very peculiar and sometimes startling names. A browse through the Physical Constants of Organic Compounds in the CRC Press will reveal not just the whimsical work of chemists, but the sometimes peculiar compound names that occur as the...