naming esters in organic chemistry

Naming esters in organic chemistry requires the suffix -oate. Esters are named in two parts. The R-group on the oxygen is the front half of the name and is named as an alkyl group. The R-group on the carbonyl (including the carbonyl carbon) is the second part of the name and named with the -oate suffix. The two parts are separated by a space. CH3C(=O)OCH3 would be named methyl ethanoate.