The nomenclature of branched hydrocarbons is based on the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) system. This system involves numbering the longest carbon chain in the molecule, and then adding the names of any branches and their positions on the chain.
For example, a branched hydrocarbon with a six-carbon chain that has two branches, one on the second carbon and one on the fourth carbon, would be named 2,4-dimethylhexane. The prefixes “di” and “methyl” identify the two branches, and the numbers “2” and “4” indicate the positions of the branches on the main chain.