The IUPAC name of CH3CH2COOH is
- A. ethanoic acid
- B. butanoic acid
- C. propanoic acid
- D. propan-1-ol
Explanation
The molecule has three carbon atoms in total, and the carboxyl carbon is always counted as part of the chain and numbered one, so the name is propanoic acid. Forgetting to count the carboxyl carbon gives ethanoic acid, which is the standard error. The parent acid name is formed by replacing the final e of the alkane with the ending oic acid.