Question

If given two hexane rings linked to a S in the middle, what would the IUPAC name be?

Answer 1

The preferred IUPAC name is (cyclohexylsulfanyl)cyclohexane.

Explanation:

The structural formula of your compound is

The IUPAC has five acceptable ways of naming thioethers.

Method 1. Substitutive nomenclature

We prefix the name of the substituent group `"R'-S-"` to that of the parent hydrocarbon.

This method gives the preferred IUPAC name: (cyclohexylsulfanyl)cyclohexane.

Method 2. Functional class nomenclature

We put the names of the alkyl groups before the functional class name of "sulfide."

The name of the compound becomes dicyclohexyl sulfide.

The IUPAC uses three other methods to name more complicated molecules. I mention them here only for the sake of completeness.

Method 3, Multiplicative nomenclature

The name would be 1,1'-sulfanediyldicyclohexane.

Method 4. Skeletal replacement nomenclature

The `"-S-"` group that replaces a `"-CH"_2"` is a"thia" group.

The name becomes dicyclohexylthiamethane.

Method 5. Phane nomenclature

We cannot apply phane nomenclature to this simple compound.