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IV. Nomenclature

         

Systems: Greek Letters are Used in Two Ways

Greek letters are also sometimes used to denote positions relative to the carboxyl carbon. The following diagram illustrates how Greek letters are used to denote positions relative to either end of a fatty acid chain.

• The first carbon following the carboxyl carbon is the alpha carbon.
• The second carbon following the carboxyl carbon is the beta carbon.
• The last carbon in the chain, farthest from the carboxyl group, is the omega carbon.