Number Multiplier   Number Multiplier

1 mono-   32 dotriaconta-

2 di-   40 tetraconta-

3 tri-   50 pentaconta-

4 tetra-   60 hexaconta-

5 penta-   70 heptaconta-

6 hexa-   80 octaconta-

7 hepta-   90 nonaconta-

8 octa-   100 hecta-

9 nona-   200 dicta-

10 deca-   300 tricta-

11 undeca-   400 tetracta-

12 dodeca-   500 pentacta-

13 trideca-   600 hexacta-

14 tetradeca-   700 heptacta-

15 pentadeca-   800 octacta-

16 hexadeca-   900 nonacta-

17 heptadeca-   1000 kilia-

18 octadeca-   2000 dilia-

19 nonadeca-   3000 trilia-

20 icosa-/eicosa-   4000 tetralia-

21 henicosa-/heneicosa-   5000 pentalia-

22 docosa-   6000 hexalia-

23 tricosa-   7000 heptalia-

30 triaconta-   8000 octalia-

31 hentriaconta-   9000 nonalia-

The numerical multiplier (or multiplying affix) in IUPAC nomenclature indicates how many
particular atoms or functional groups are attached at a particular point in a molecule. The
affixes are derived from both Latin and Greek.

Compound affixes

The affix for a number larger than twelve is constructed in the opposite order to that which
the number is written in Hindu-Arabic numerals: units, then tens, then hundreds, then
thousands. For example:

548 → octa- (8) + tetraconta- (40) + pentacta- (500) = octatetracontapentacta-

9267 → hepta- (7) + hexaconta- (60) + dicta- (200) + nonalia- (9000) =
heptahexacontadictanonalia-

The numeral one

While the use of the affix mono- is rarely necessary in organic chemistry, it is often essential
in inorganic chemistry to avoid ambiguity: carbon oxide could refer to either carbon monoxide
or carbon dioxide. In forming compound affixes, the numeral one is represented by the term
hen- except when it forms part of the number eleven (undeca-): hence

241 → hen- (1) + tetraconta- (40) + dicta- (200) = hentetracontadicta-

411 → undeca- (11) + tetracta- (400) = undecatetracta-

The numeral two

In compound affixes, the numeral two is represented by do- except when it forms part of the
numbers 20 (icosa-), 200 (dicta-) or 2000 (dilia-).

Icosa- v. eicosa-

IUPAC prefers the spelling icosa- for the affix corresponding to the number twenty on the
grounds of etymology. However both the Chemical Abstracts Service and the Beilstein
database use the alternative spelling eicosa-.

Etymology
"mono-" is from Greek monos = "alone". "un" = 1 and "nona-" = 9 are from Latin. The others are
derived from Greek numbers.

Linguists should note that the forms 100 and upwards are not correct Greek. In Ancient
Greek, hekaton = 100, diakosioi = 200, triakosioi = 300, etc. The numbers 200-900 would be
confused easily with 22 to 29 if they were used in chemistry. khīlioi = 1000, diskhīlioi = 2000,
triskhīlioi = 3000, etc., and 13 to 19 are treiskaideka etc. with the Greek for "and" inserted (as
in triskaidekaphobia).

Notes and references

Panico, R.; & Powell, W. H. (Eds.) (1994). A Guide to IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic
Compounds 1993. Oxford: Blackwell Science. ISBN 0-632-03488-2.

Last edited 3 months ago by Willondon