What is the nomenclature for compounds with both alcohol and ketone groups?

Compounds with both alcohol and ketone groups are known as keto-alcohols.

Keto-alcohols, as the name suggests, are organic compounds that contain both a ketone group and an alcohol group. The ketone group is a carbonyl group (C=O) where the carbon atom is bonded to two other carbon atoms. The alcohol group, on the other hand, is a hydroxyl group (-OH) where the oxygen atom is bonded to a hydrogen atom.

In the nomenclature of these compounds, the ketone group is usually given priority over the alcohol group. This means that the ketone group is considered the principal functional group and the alcohol group is considered a substituent. Therefore, the compound is named as a ketone, with the alcohol group indicated by the prefix 'hydroxy-'.

For example, consider a compound with a ketone group at the second carbon atom and an alcohol group at the third carbon atom in a four-carbon chain. This compound would be named as 3-hydroxybutan-2-one. Here, 'butan-' indicates the four-carbon chain, '-2-one' indicates the ketone group at the second carbon atom, and '3-hydroxy-' indicates the alcohol group at the third carbon atom.

However, it's important to note that the nomenclature can vary depending on the complexity of the compound and the specific rules of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), which is the recognised authority for chemical nomenclature. Therefore, it's always a good idea to check the IUPAC rules or consult a chemistry textbook or teacher if you're unsure about the correct name for a particular compound.