Capitalization of Chemical Compounds

A separate article here on the Author Resource Center discusses formatting with chemical compound prefixes. This post focuses on
capitalization of chemical compounds and abbreviations, another tricky aspect of formatting chemistry papers. Here are several tips to follow:

1. Chemical names

The names of chemicals are not capitalized unless they are the first word of a sentence. In such a case, the first letter of the syllabic portion is
capitalized, not the descriptor or prefix. Note that prefixes such as Tris- and Bis- (which are not commonly italicized) are considered part of the
name. The following table shows several examples.

Within sentence Beginning a Within sentence Beginning a

sentence sentence

benzoic acid Benzoic acid 1-bromo-3- 1-Bromo-3-

chloropropane chloropropane

7-(4-chlorophenyl)-1- 7-(4-Chlorophenyl)-1- O,S,S-triethyl O,S,S-Triethyl

naphthol naphthol phosphorodithioate phosphorodithioate

O,S,S-triethyl O,S,S-Triethyl p-benezenediacetic p-Benezenediacetic

phosphorodithioate phosphorodithioate acid acid

tris(β- Tris(β- cis-1,2- cis-1,2-

chloroethyl)amine chloroethyl)amine dichloroethene Dichloroethene

2. Chemical elements

Within a sentence, the names of chemical elements are not capitalized, but the first letter of a chemical symbol should always be capitalized
(e.g., “The sample contained calcium atoms” and “The sample contained Ca atoms”).

3. Chemical formulas

Within a sentence, the names of chemical compounds are not capitalized, but the first letter of each elemental symbol should be capitalized
(e.g., “We added sodium hydroxide” and “We added NaOH). Note that symbols and words should not be mixed (that is, avoid saying “K
chloride”).

4. Amino acids

Abbreviations for amino acids (three-letter or one-letter versions) are capitalized; full names are not capitalized unless they are the first word of
a sentence (e.g., ““The mutant protein features a substituted glutamine residue” and “The mutant protein features a substituted Gln residue”).

https://www.aje.com/en/arc/editing-tip-capitalization-chemical-compounds/