Number: 2006-038-1-800
Title: Preferred IUPAC Names (PINs)
for Inorganic Compounds
Task Group
Chairman: R.
Hartshorn
Members: T.
Damhus, A. Hutton,
E. Nordlander,
J. Reedijk, and
M.J. Scott
Objective:
To develop rules for choosing the Preferred IUPAC Names (PIN) for
inorganic compounds, including coordination compounds, organometallic
compounds, and compounds that either do not contain carbon, or do
contain at least one element from groups 1-12. These rules should
result in names that are suitable for use in legal and regulatory
documentation.
Description:
The PIN concept has been developed in response to the difficulties
that users of nomenclature strike when there is more that one systematic
way of naming a compound. This issue is particularly problematic
in legal and regulatory applications, where confusion over names
could have major health and safety, legal, or financial implications.
Rules for choosing PINs for organic molecules have been developed
as a major goal of the project for the revision of the Blue Book
(project 2001-043-1-800).
That project is nearing completion, and the resulting manuscript
is in the IUPAC review process. It is obvious that PINs must also
be available for inorganic compounds, but the methods that are typically
used to name such compounds are different from those used for organic
compounds, and consequently new rules will have to be developed.
A number of critical issues will have to be addressed; these include: