-al

Suffix used in organic chemistry the Arabic prefix Al- In chemistry, the suffix -al is the IUPAC nomenclature used in organic chemistry to form names of aldehydes containing the -(CO)H group in the systematic form. It was extracted from the word "aldehyde". With the exception of chemical compounds having a higher priority than it, all aldehydes are named using -al, such as 'propanal'. Some aldehydes also have common names, such as formaldehyde for methanal, acetaldehyde for ethanal. Benzaldehyde does not have a systematic form with -al. References A guide to IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds: recommendations 1993 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Commission on Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry Panico R Powell WH Richer JC Oxford Blackwell Scientific Publications 1993 0-632-03702-4 al