Amide

The amide has a carbonyl bonded directly to a nitrogen atom — it can be seen as a carboxylic acid where the hydroxyl was swapped for an amino group. It's the bond that forms proteins (peptide bond).

General formula

R–CO–NH₂

Naming rule

Name = main chain (including the carbonyl carbon) + suffix -amide (e.g., ethanamide). Substituents on the nitrogen take the N- prefix.

Examples

NameFormula
Methanamide (formamide)HCONH₂
Ethanamide (acetamide)CH₃CONH₂
N-methylethanamideCH₃CONHCH₃
Build a amide in the simulator →