The Chinese Chemical Society (CCS; ) lays out a set of rules based on those given by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations that represents chemists in individual countries. It is a member of the International Council for Science . The international headquarters of IUPAC is located in Zürich,...

 (IUPAC) for the purpose of systematic organic nomenclature in Chinese. A standard set of characters, invented during the 20th century, is used for this purpose.

Derivation of Chinese Characters

The majority of the Chinese characters used for this purpose are phonosemantic compounds, with part of the character giving a general semantic category and the other part providing a pronunciation, usually based on the international (European) pronunciation. There are four common radicals (the part of the character that gives the semantic category) for these characters:

• 火 (huǒ, fire) e.g.: 烷 (wán, alkane), common for hydrocarbons
• 酉 (yǒu, ritual wine vessel) e.g.: 酮 (tóng, ketone), common for oxygenated functionalities
• 艸 (cǎo, grass) e.g. 苯 (běn, benzene, phenyl), common for aromatic compounds and terpenes
• 肉 (ròu, meat, flesh) e.g. 腙 (zōng, hydrazone), common for nitrogen-containing functionalities

Additionally, the mouth radical (口, kǒu) is affixed to characters that are used for their sound only. This occurs often in the transliteration

Transliteration

Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...

 of the names of heterocyclic compounds, (e.g., 吡啶, "bǐdìng", pyridine). These characters are also used for the transliteration of non-chemical terms from foreign languages.

Table

Below is a table, in pinyin

Pinyin

Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...

 order, of the Chinese names of major organic compounds, radicals, and functional groups. Characters given are in Simplified Chinese. Since the characters are modern creations, the Traditional Chinese characters are analogous (with Traditional components in place of Simplified components). This list is not exhaustive, although many of the other characters used for this purpose can only be found in specialist dictionaries.

Chinese names of organic compounds, radicals, and functional groups

Character	Phonetic	Pronunciation	Origin/Notes
胺 amine Amine Amines are organic compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are derivatives of ammonia, wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent such as an alkyl or aryl group. Important amines include amino acids, biogenic amines,...	安 ān 'peace'	àn	From ammonia, 氨, ān, itself based on the European pronunciation (铵, ǎn 'ammonia', with the metal radical is used for ammonium salts)
薁 azulene Azulene Azulene is an organic compound and an isomer of naphthalene. Whereas naphthalene is colourless, azulene is dark blue. Its name is derived from the Spanish word azul, meaning "blue"...	奥 ào 'mysterious'	ào	European pronunciation (There is an unrelated archaic homographic character pronounced yù, meaning 'wild grapes')
苯 benzene Benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....  or phenyl	本 běn 'this','root'	běn	European pronunciation
吡啶 pyridine Pyridine Pyridine is a basic heterocyclic organic compound with the chemical formula C5H5N. It is structurally related to benzene, with one C-H group replaced by a nitrogen atom...	比 bǐ 'contrast' and 定 dìng 'stability'	bǐdìng	Transliteration
吡咯 pyrrole Pyrrole Pyrrole is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound, a five-membered ring with the formula C4H4NH. It is a colourless volatile liquid that darkens readily upon exposure to air. Substituted derivatives are also called pyrroles, e.g., N-methylpyrrole, C4H4NCH3...	比 bǐ 'contrast' and 各 gè 'each'	bǐluò	Transliteration
苄 benzyl Benzyl In organic chemistry, benzyl is the term used to describe the substituent or molecular fragment possessing the structure C6H5CH2-. Benzyl features a benzene ring attached to a CH2 group.-Nomenclature:...	卞 biàn 'hurried'	biàn	European pronunciation
卟吩 porphin Porphin Porphin, sometimes spelled porphine, is the parent chemical compound for types of biochemically significant compounds called porphyrins. The chemical formula of porphin is C20H14N4...	卜 bǔ foretell' and 分 fēn 'divide'	bǔfēn	Transliteration (Formerly known as 㗊, jí, which depicts the porphin ring system pictographically)
醇 alcohol Alcohol In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....	享 xiǎng 'enjoy'	chún	Not newly coined, original meaning 'rich wine'
苊 acenaphthene Acenaphthene Acenaphthene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of naphthalene with an ethylene bridge connecting positions 1 and 8. An alternative name, 1,2-dihydroacenaphthylene, emphasizes that it is a hydrogenated form of acenaphthylene...	厄 è 'hardship'	è	European pronunciation
蒽 anthracene Anthracene Anthracene is a solid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of three fused benzene rings. It is a component of coal-tar. Anthracene is used in the production of the red dye alizarin and other dyes...	恩 ēn 'favor'	ēn	European pronunciation
酚 (also 苯酚) phenol Phenol Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...	分 fēn 'divide'	fēn (běnfēn)	European pronunciation
砜 sulfone Sulfone A sulfone is a chemical compound containing a sulfonyl functional group attached to two carbon atoms. The central hexavalent sulfur atom is double bonded to each of two oxygen atoms and has a single bond to each of two carbon atoms, usually in two separate hydrocarbon substituents.-IUPAC name and...	风 fēng 'the wind'	fēng	European pronunciation (亚砜, yàfēng [lit. minor sulfone], is used for sulfoxide Sulfoxide A sulfoxide is a chemical compound containing a sulfinyl functional group attached to two carbon atoms. Sulfoxides can be considered as oxidized sulfides... )
呋喃 furan Furan Furan is a heterocyclic organic compound, consisting of a five-membered aromatic ring with four carbon atoms and one oxygen. The class of compounds containing such rings are also referred to as furans....	夫 fū 'husband' and 南 nán 'south'	fúnán	Transliteration
酐 (organic or inorganic) anhydride	干 gān 'dry', 'work'	gān	From (simplified) 干, gān, 'dry'
苷 glycoside Glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme...	甘 gān 'sweet'	gān	From 甘, gān, 'sweet' (Formerly known as 甙, dài, from 代, dài, 'substitute')
胍 guanidine Guanidine Guanidine is a crystalline compound of strong alkalinity formed by the oxidation of guanine. It is used in the manufacture of plastics and explosives. It is found in urine as a normal product of protein metabolism. The molecule was first synthesized in 1861 by the oxidative degradation of an...	瓜 guā 'melon'	guā	European pronunciation
胲 hydroxylamine Hydroxylamine Hydroxylamine is an inorganic compound with the formula NH2OH. The pure material is a white, unstable crystalline, hygroscopic compound. However, hydroxylamine is almost always provided and used as an aqueous solution. It is used to prepare oximes, an important functional group. It is also an...	亥 hài '9-11 pm'	hǎi	European pronunciation
磺 sulfonyl Sulfonyl A sulfonyl group can refer either to a functional group found primarily in sulfones or to a substituent obtained from a sulfonic acid by the removal of the hydroxyl group similarly to acyl groups...	黄 huáng 'yellow'	huáng	From 硫磺, liúhuáng, 'sulfur' (e.g., 磺胺, huángàn is sulfonamide)
腈 nitrile Nitrile A nitrile is any organic compound that has a -C≡N functional group. The prefix cyano- is used interchangeably with the term nitrile in industrial literature. Nitriles are found in many useful compounds, one example being super glue .Inorganic compounds containing the -C≡N group are not called...	青 qīng 'blue','green'	jīng	From cyanogen, 氰, qíng, itself derived from 青, qīng, blue/green, cf. Prussian blue Prussian blue Prussian blue is a dark blue pigment with the idealized formula Fe718. Another name for the color Prussian blue is Berlin blue or, in painting, Parisian blue. Turnbull's blue is the same substance but is made from different reagents....
肼 hydrazine Hydrazine Hydrazine is an inorganic compound with the formula N2H4. It is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odor. Hydrazine is highly toxic and dangerously unstable unless handled in solution. Approximately 260,000 tons are manufactured annually...	井 jǐng. 'a well'	jǐng	European pronunciation
胩 isonitrile	卡 kǎ 'stop','check'	kǎ	From older nomenclature carbylamine (Also known as 异腈, yìjīng [lit. different nitrile])
蒈 carane	皆 jiē 'all'	kǎi	European pronunciation
莰 camphane	坎 kǎn 'threshold'	kǎn	European pronunciation
喹啉 quinoline Quinoline Quinoline is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound. It has the formula C9H7N and is a colourless hygroscopic liquid with a strong odour. Aged samples, if exposed to light, become yellow and later brown...	奎 kuí 'stride' and 林 lín 'forest'	kuílín	Transliteration
醌 quinone Quinone A quinone is a class of organic compounds that are formally "derived from aromatic compounds [such as benzene or naphthalene] by conversion of an even number of –CH= groups into –C– groups with any necessary rearrangement of double bonds," resulting in "a fully conjugated cyclic dione structure."...	昆 kūn 'elder brother'	kūn	European pronunciation
膦 phosphine Phosphine Phosphine is the compound with the chemical formula PH3. It is a colorless, flammable, toxic gas. Pure phosphine is odourless, but technical grade samples have a highly unpleasant odor like garlic or rotting fish, due to the presence of substituted phosphine and diphosphine...	粦 lín	lìn	From 磷, lín, itself from 粦 lín, 'will-o'-the-wisp' (Phosphonium is 鏻, lǐn, in analogy to ammonium)
醚 ether Ether Ethers are a class of organic compounds that contain an ether group — an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups — of general formula R–O–R'. A typical example is the solvent and anesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether"...	迷 mí 'bewilder'	mí	From 迷, mí, 'confusion', from anesthetic properties of diethyl ether Diethyl ether Diethyl ether, also known as ethyl ether, simply ether, or ethoxyethane, is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula . It is a colorless, highly volatile flammable liquid with a characteristic odor...
脒 amidine Amidine Amidines are a class of oxoacid derivatives.The oxoacid from which an amidine is derived must be of the form RnEOH, where R is a substituent...	米 mǐ 'rice'	mǐ	European pronunciation
咪唑 imidazole Imidazole Imidazole is an organic compound with the formula C3H4N2. This aromatic heterocyclic is a diazole and is classified as an alkaloid. Imidazole refers to the parent compound, whereas imidazoles are a class of heterocycles with similar ring structure, but varying substituents...	米 mǐ 'rice' and 坐 zuò 'sit'	mǐzuò	Transliteration
嘧啶 pyrimidine Pyrimidine Pyrimidine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound similar to benzene and pyridine, containing two nitrogen atoms at positions 1 and 3 of the six-member ring...	密 mì 'dense' and 定 dìng 'stability'	mìdìng	Transliteration
萘 naphthalene Naphthalene Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula . It is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings...	奈 nài 'Chennai Chennai Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India... '	nài	European pronunciation
脲 urea Urea Urea or carbamide is an organic compound with the chemical formula CO2. The molecule has two —NH2 groups joined by a carbonyl functional group....	尿 niào 'urine'	niào	From 尿, niào, 'urine'
苧 limonene Limonene Limonene is a colourless liquid hydrocarbon classified as a cyclic terpene. The more common D isomer possesses a strong smell of oranges. It is used in chemical synthesis as a precursor to carvone and as a renewably-based solvent in cleaning products....	宁 níng 'peaceful'	níng	From 柠檬 níngméng, 'lemon'
哌啶 piperidine Piperidine Piperidine is an organic compound with the molecular formula 5NH. This heterocyclic amine consists of a six-membered ring containing five methylene units and one nitrogen atom...	𠂢 pài and 定 dìng 'stability'	pàidìng	Transliteration
哌嗪 piperazine Piperazine Piperazine is an organic compound that consists of a six-membered ring containing two opposing nitrogen atoms. Piperazine exists as small alkaline deliquescent crystals with a saline taste....	𠂢 pài and 秦 qín 'Qin Dynasty Qin Dynasty The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring... '	pàiqín	Transliteration
蒎 pinene Pinene Pinene is a bicyclic monoterpene chemical compound. There are two structural isomers of pinene found in nature: α-pinene and β-pinene. As the name suggests, both forms are important constituents of pine resin; they are also found in the resins of many other conifers, as well as in non-coniferous...	派 pài 'assign'	pài	European pronunciation
苉 picene Picene Picene is a hydrocarbon found in the pitchy residue obtained in the distillation of peat tar and of petroleum. This is distilled to dryness and the distillate repeatedly recrystallized from cymene. It may be synthetically prepared by the action of anhydrous aluminium chloride on a mixture of...	匹 pǐ 'equal'	pǐ	European pronunciation
嘌呤 purine Purine A purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound, consisting of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. Purines, including substituted purines and their tautomers, are the most widely distributed kind of nitrogen-containing heterocycle in nature....	票 piào 'ticket' and 令 lìng 'make'	piàolìng	Transliteration
羟 hydroxyl Hydroxyl A hydroxyl is a chemical group containing an oxygen atom covalently bonded with a hydrogen atom. In inorganic chemistry, the hydroxyl group is known as the hydroxide ion, and scientists and reference works generally use these different terms though they refer to the same chemical structure in...	羊 yáng 'sheep' and 巠 jīng	qiǎng	From fusion of the sounds of 氧, yǎng, 'oxygen' and 氢, qīng, 'hydrogen'
巯 sulfhydryl	巠 jīng and 硫 liú 'sulfur'	qiú	From fusion of the sounds of 氢, qīng, 'hydrogen' and 硫, liú, 'sulfur' (Sulfonium is 锍, liǔ, in analogy with ammonium)
醛 aldehyde Aldehyde An aldehyde is an organic compound containing a formyl group. This functional group, with the structure R-CHO, consists of a carbonyl center bonded to hydrogen and an R group....	荃 quán	quán	From 荃, quán, a type of fragrant grass, referring to the fragrance of many aldehydes
炔 alkyne Alkyne Alkynes are hydrocarbons that have a triple bond between two carbon atoms, with the formula CnH2n-2. Alkynes are traditionally known as acetylenes, although the name acetylene also refers specifically to C2H2, known formally as ethyne using IUPAC nomenclature...	夬 guǎi	quē	From 缺, quē, 'deficient', referring to its unsaturation, cf. names for alkanes and alkenes
脎 osazone Osazone Osazones are a class of carbohydrate derivatives found in organic chemistry formed when sugars are reacted with phenylhydrazine . The famous German chemist Emil Fischer developed and used the reaction to identify sugars whose stereochemistry differed by only one chiral carbon...	杀 shā 'kill'	sà	European pronunciation
胂 arsine Arsine Arsine is the chemical compound with the formula AsH3. This flammable, pyrophoric, and highly toxic gas is one of the simplest compounds of arsenic...	申 shēn 'explain'	shèn	From 砷, shēn, 'arsenic' (Arsonium is 鉮, shěn, in analogy with ammonium)
酸 (organic or inorganic) acid Acid An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...	夋, qūn	suān	Not newly coined, also means 'sour'
羧 carboxyl	n.a.	suō	Character construction is based on combination of 氧, yǎng, and 酸, suān, pronunciation from European pronunciation
肽 peptide Peptide Peptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond...	太 tài 'excessively'	tài	European pronunciation
酞 phthalein	太 tài 'excessively'	tài	European pronunciation
羰 carbonyl Carbonyl In organic chemistry, a carbonyl group is a functional group composed of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom: C=O. It is common to several classes of organic compounds, as part of many larger functional groups....	羊 yáng 'sheep' and 炭 tàn 'charcoal'	tǎng	From fusion of the sounds of 氧, yǎng, 'oxygen' and 碳, tàn, 'carbon'
萜 terpene Terpene Terpenes are a large and diverse class of organic compounds, produced by a variety of plants, particularly conifers, though also by some insects such as termites or swallowtail butterflies, which emit terpenes from their osmeterium. They are often strong smelling and thus may have had a protective...	帖 tiè 'obedient'	tiē	European pronunciation
烃 hydrocarbon Hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....	巠 jīng	tīng	From fusion of the sounds of 碳, tàn, 'carbon' and 氢, qīng, 'hydrogen
酮 ketone Ketone In organic chemistry, a ketone is an organic compound with the structure RCR', where R and R' can be a variety of atoms and groups of atoms. It features a carbonyl group bonded to two other carbon atoms. Many ketones are known and many are of great importance in industry and in biology...	同 tóng 'same'	tóng	European pronunciation
烷 alkane Alkane Alkanes are chemical compounds that consist only of hydrogen and carbon atoms and are bonded exclusively by single bonds without any cycles...	完 wán 'complete'	wán	From 完, wán, 'complete', referring to its saturation, cf. names for alkenes and alkynes
肟 oxime Oxime An oxime is a chemical compound belonging to the imines, with the general formula R1R2C=NOH, where R1 is an organic side chain and R2 may be hydrogen, forming an aldoxime, or another organic group, forming a ketoxime. O-substituted oximes form a closely related family of compounds...	亏 yú 'deficit'	wò	European pronunciation (Note that 亏 is also the unrelated simplified character for 虧 'deficit', kuī. In this context, it is the archaic variant character for 于 'with regard to', yú)
芴 fluorene Fluorene Fluorene, or 9H-fluorene, is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. It forms white crystals that exhibit a characteristic, aromatic odor similar to that of naphthalene. It is combustible. It has a violet fluorescence, hence its name. For commercial purposes it is obtained from coal tar...	勿 wù 'do not'	wù	European pronunciation
烯 alkene Alkene In organic chemistry, an alkene, olefin, or olefine is an unsaturated chemical compound containing at least one carbon-to-carbon double bond...	希 xī 'infrequent'	xī	From 希, xī, 'sparse', referring to its unsaturation, cf. names for alkanes and alkynes
酰 (organic or inorganic) acyl Acyl An acyl group is a functional group derived by the removal of one or more hydroxyl groups from an oxoacid, including inorganic acids.In organic chemistry, the acyl group is usually derived from a carboxylic acid . Therefore, it has the formula RCO-, where R represents an alkyl group that is...	先 xiān 'in front'	xiān	From 先, xiān, 'earlier [i.e. precursor]', referring to its derivation from acids (Formerly known as 醯, xī)
吲哚 indole Indole Indole is an aromatic heterocyclic organic compound. It has a bicyclic structure, consisting of a six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered nitrogen-containing pyrrole ring. Indole is a popular component of fragrances and the precursor to many pharmaceuticals. Compounds that contain an...	引 yǐn 'attract' and 朵 duǒ	yǐnduǒ	Transliteration
茚 indene Indene Indene is a flammable polycyclic hydrocarbon with chemical formula C9H8. It is composed of a benzene ring fused with a cyclopentene ring. This aromatic liquid is colorless although samples often are pale yellow...	印 yìn 'impression'	yìn	European pronunciation
甾 steroid Steroid A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...	甾 zāi 'steroid'	zāi	Pictographic in origin, refers to the three side-chains (found in cholesterol Cholesterol Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes... ) and four rings found in all steroids (Also an unrelated archaic character with pronunciation zī)
酯 ester Ester Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid with a hydroxyl compound such as an alcohol or phenol. Esters are usually derived from an inorganic acid or organic acid in which at least one -OH group is replaced by an -O-alkyl group, and most commonly from carboxylic acids and...	旨 zhǐ 'purpose'	zhǐ	From 脂, zhī, 'lipid', referring to the ester linkages in glycerides
䓬 tropylium	卓 zhuó 'eminent'	zhuó	European pronunciation
腙 hydrazone Hydrazone Hydrazones are a class of organic compounds with the structure R1R2C=NNH2. They are related to ketones and aldehydes by the replacement of the oxygen with the NNH2 functional group...	宗 zōng 'faction'	zōng	European pronunciation

Other Aspects and Examples

In the CCS system, carbon chain lengths are denoted by celestial stems (甲，乙，丙，丁，戊，己，庚，辛，壬，癸), characters used since the Shang Dynasty

Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...

 (16th-11th cent. BCE) for naming days (and later, to name years). For example, hexane is 己烷, jǐwán, since 己 jǐ is the sixth celestial stem. Longer carbon chains are specified by number followed by '碳' (tàn, 'carbon'). For example 1-hexadecene is 1-十六碳烯 (read as [1, yī] [-, wèi] [十六, shíliù, '16'] [碳, tàn] [烯, xī]), where the dash is read as 位 (wèi, 'position').

For a more complex example, consider but-3-en-1-ol (homoallyl alcohol). Its Chinese name is 3-丁烯-1-醇 (read as [3, sān] [-, wèi] [丁, dīng] [烯, xī] [1, yī] [-, wèi] [醇, chún])

The Chinese Wikipedia page may be consulted for further details.