Okanagan University College 5.
Esters have two carbon chains separated by an 'ether' oxygen.
Both these chains must be named separately in the full ester name which appears as two separate words in the form alkyl alkanoate . The alkyl part of the name is given to the chain without the carbonyl group. These designations are given without recourse to which is the longer chain. It is the position of the carbonyl group which dictates which is alkyl and which is alkanoate. The carbonyl group in the alkanoate family is always at the end of a carbon chain and as such is always position 1.