Cis- and trans-

[Michelle Li 2B]

Hi! I have a question regarding naming. I know we learned that the prefix cis- means that Chlorines are next to each other, and the prefix trans- means that Chlorines are opposite each other. However, I just wanted to check if the prefixes cis- and trans- are specific only to Chlorine or if they apply to other elements as well?

[OishiBhattacharya2K]

Hi! I think this is applicable to numerous other instances, and what you mentioned was simply just an example.

[Jaipal Virdi 2I]

To my knowledge they apply to all compounds! Cis- and trans- just refers to the arrangement of non-central atoms. Cis- being polar with the atoms being on the same side while trans- being non-polar with them across from each other. Below is a photo for clarity :)