-ole, suffix
[partly f. L. oleum oil, partly a var. -ol]
used to form chemical names.
1. In the names of compounds containing five-membered, unsaturated rings with at least one hetero-atom, e.g. carbazole, indazole, indole, pyrrole, thiazole, triazole.
Although applicable to older words like pyrrole (1835), this systematic use of -ole is of more recent date.
| 1928 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. I. 3078 For five-membered rings proposals made by Widman, Bouveault and others have found their way into use. The ending -ol or -ole appears in such names as pyrrole, imidazole and even dioxole (which is non-nitrogenous). It conflicts with the ending -ol for alcohols and phenols (hence the modified spelling -ole), but its use to denote a five-membered ring is well known. 1971 Nomencl. Org. Chem. (I.U.P.A.C.) (ed. 3) B. 53 (table) No. of members in the ring..5. Rings containing nitrogen: unsaturation..-ole... Rings containing no nitrogen: unsaturation..-ole. |
2. Unsystematically, in the names of aromatic ethers, e.g. anisole, phenetole, safrole, which were regarded as being derived from carboxylic acids in the same way as ‘benzole’ (benzene) is from benzoic acid.
| 1852 Rep. Brit. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 1851 i. 136 The use of the analogous termination ole for those [bodies] formed by the abstraction of 2 atoms of carbonic acid from the same [sc. vegetable acids] may be apt to cause some ambiguity. Thus we use the terms benzole, phenole, and anisole, as being derived respectively from the benzoic, salicylic, and anisic acids. |