Chemistry Chemical Names of Common Substances Alternate Chemical Names of Familiar Materials By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., About.com Guide Chemical or scientific names are used to give an accurate description of a substance's composition. Even so, you rarely ask someone to pass the sodium chloride at the dinner table. It's important to remember that common names are inaccurate and vary from one place and time to another. Therefore, don't assume that you know the chemical composition of a substance based on its common name. This is a list of archaic chemical names and common names for chemicals, with their modern or IUPAC equivalent name. You also may be interested in the list of common chemicals and where to find them 1. Common Chemical Names You might call these salt crystals, but there are many types of salt, so it would be more precise to call them sodium chloride crystals. Björn Appel Common Name 2 acetone acid potassium sulfate acid of sugar ackey alcali volatil alcohol, grain alcohol sulfuris alcohol, wood alum alumina antichlor antifreeze antimony black antimony bloom antimony glance antimony red (vermillion) aqua ammonia aqua fortis aqua regia aromatic spirit of ammonia arsenic glass azurite asbestos Chemical Name dimethyl ketone; 2-propanone (usually known as acetone) potassium bisulfate oxalic acid 3 nitric acid 4 ammonium hydroxide ethyl alcohol 5 carbon disulfide 6 methyl alcohol 7 aluminum potassium sulfate aluminum oxide sodium thiosulfate ethylene glycol antimony trisulfide antimony trioxide antimony trisulfide antimony oxysulfide aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide nitric acid nitrohydrochloric acid ammonia in alcohol arsenic trioxide mineral form of basic copper carbonate magnesium silicate aspirin 8 acetylsalicylic acid 9 baking soda 10 sodium bicarbonate 11 banana oil (artificial) barium white isoamyl acetate benzol benzene 12 bicarbonate of soda 13 sodium hydrogen carbonate 14 or sodium bicarbonate 15 bichloride of mercury mercuric chloride
bichloride of mercury bichrome bitter salt black ash black copper oxide black lead blanc-fixe bleaching powder blue copperas blue lead blue salts blue stone blue vitriol bluestone bone ash bone black boracic acid borax bremen blue brimstone burnt alum burnt lime mercuric chloride potassium dichromate magnesium sulfate crude form of cupric oxide graphite (carbon) chlorinated lime; calcium hypochlorite copper sulfate (crystals) lead sulfate nickel sulfate copper sulfate (crystals) copper sulfate copper sulfate crude calcium phosphate crude animal charcoal boric acid sodium borate; sodium tetraborate basic copper carbonate sulfur anhydrous potassium aluminum sulfate burnt ochre burnt ore brine butter of antimony butter of tin butter of zinc calomel carbolic acid aqueous sodium chloride solution antimony trichloride anhydrous stannic chloride zinc chloride mercury chloride; mercurous chloride phenol carbonic acid gas carbon dioxide 16 caustic lime caustic potash caustic soda chalk Chile saltpeter Chile nitre Chinese red Chinese white chloride of soda chloride of lime chrome alum chrome green chrome yellow chromic acid potassium hydroxide calcium carbonate sodium nitrate sodium nitrate basic lead chromate zinc oxide sodium hypochlorite calcium hypochlorite chromic potassium sulfate chromium oxide lead (VI) chromate chromium trioxide
chromic acid copperas corrosive sublimate corundum (ruby, sapphire) chromium trioxide ferrous sulfate mercury (II) chloride chiefly aluminum oxide cream of tartar 17 potassium bitartrate 18 crocus powder crystal carbonate dechlor diamond emery powder epsom salts sodium thiophosphate carbon crystal impure aluminum oxide magnesium sulfate ethanol 19 ethyl alcohol farina ferro prussiate starch potassium ferricyanide ferrum iron 20 flores martis fluorspar fixed white flowers of sulfur 'flowers of' any metal formalin French chalk French vergidris galena Glauber's salt green verditer green vitriol gypsum hard oil heavy spar hydrocyanic acid hypo (photography) Indian red Isinglass jeweler's rouge killed spirits lampblack laughing gas lead peroxide lead protoxide lime lime, slaked limewater liquor ammonia litharge anhydride iron (III) chloride natural calcium fluoride sulfur oxide of the metal aqueous formaldehyde solution natural magnesium silicate basic copper acetate natural lead sulfide sodium sulfate basic copper carbonate ferrous sulfate crystals natural calcium sulfate boiled linseed oil hydrogen cynanide sodium thiosulfate solution agar-agar gelatin zinc chloride crude form of carbon; charcoal nitrous oxide lead dioxide lead oxide aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide solution lead monoxide
lunar caustic liver of sulfur lye or soda lye magnesia manganese black marble mercury oxide, black methanol methylated spirits milk of lime milk of magnesium milk of sulfur "muriate" of a metal silver nitrate sufurated potash magnesium oxide manganese dioxide mainly calcium carbonate mercurous oxide methyl alcohol methyl alcohol magnesium hydroxide precipitated sulfur chloride of the metal muriatic acid 21 hydrochloric acid natron nitre potassium nitrate nordhausen acid fuming sulfuric acid 22 oil of mars deliquescent anhydrous iron (III) chloride oil of vitriol 23 sulfuric acid 24 oil of wintergreen (artificial) orthophosphoric acid Paris blue Paris green Paris white pear oil (artificial) pearl ash permanent white plaster of Paris plumbago methyl salicylate phosphoric acid ferric ferrocyanide copper acetoarsenite powdered calcium carbonate isoamyl acetate potassium carbonate calcium sulfate graphite potash potassa precipitated chalk Prussic acid pyro quicklime potassium carbonate potassium hydroxide calcium carbonate hydrogen cyanide tetrasodium pyrophosphate quicksilver mercury 25 red lead red liquor red prussiate of potash red prussiate of soda Rochelle salt rock salt rouge, jeweler's rubbing alcohol sal ammoniac lead tetraoxide aluminum acetate solution potassium ferrocyanide sodium ferrocyanide potassium sodium tartrate sodium chloride isopropyl alcohol ammonium chloride
sal soda salt, table salt of lemon salt of tartar saltpeter silica slaked lime soda ash soda nitre soda lye soluble glass sour water spirit of hartshorn spirit of salt spirit of wine spirits of nitrous ether sugar, table sugar of lead sulfuric ether sodium chloride potassium binoxalate potassium carbonate potassium nitrate silicon dioxide sodium nitrate sodium silicate dilute sulfuric acid ammonium hydroxide solution hydrochloric acid ethyl alcohol ethyl nitrate sucrose lead acetate ethyl ether talc or talcum tin crystals trona unslaked lime Venetian red verdigris Vienna lime vinegar vitamin C vitriol washing soda water glass white caustic white lead white vitriol yellow prussiate of potash yellow prussiate of soda zinc vitriol zinc white magnesium silicate stannous chloride natural basic copper acetate calcium carbonate impure dilute acetic acid ascorbic acid sulfuric acid sodium silicate basic lead carbonate zinc sulfate crystals potassium ferrocyanide sodium ferrocyanide zinc sulfate zinc oxide This About.com page has been optimized for print. To view this page in its original form, please visit: http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemicaldatabases/a/chemical-names-of-common- Substances.htm 2012 About.com, Inc., a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved. Links in this article: 1. http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistrysupplies/a/common-chemicals-and-where-to-find-them.htm 2. http://chemistry.about.com/od/factsstructures/ig/chemical-structures---a/acetone.htm 3. http://chemistry.about.com/od/factsstructures/ig/chemical-structures---o/oxalic-acid.htm 4. http://chemistry.about.com/od/factsstructures/ig/chemical-structures---n/nitric-acid.htm
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