Foundations of the Czech chemical nomenclature (Czech: české chemické názvosloví) and terminology were laid during the 1820s and 1830s. These early naming conventions fit the Czech language and, being mostly the work of a single person, Jan Svatopluk Presl, provided a consistent way to name chemical compounds. Over time, the nomenclature expanded considerably, following the recommendations by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in the recent era.
Unlike the nomenclature that is used in biology or medicine, the chemical nomenclature stays closer to the Czech language and uses Czech pronunciation and inflection rules, but developed its own, very complex, system of morphemes (taken from Greek and Latin), grammar, syntax, punctuation and use of brackets and numerals. Certain terms (such as etanol 'ethanol') use the phonetic transcription, but the rules for spelling are inconsistent.