An
amide ( or or ), also known as an
acid amide, is a compound with the functional group R
nE(O)
xNR'
2 (R and R' refer to H or organic groups). Most common are
carboxamides (organic amides) (n = 1, E = C, x = 1), but many other important types of amides are known including
phosphoramides (n = 2, E = P, x = 1 and many related formulas) and
sulfonamides (E = S, x= 2). The term amide refers both to
classes of compounds and to the
functional group (R
nE(O)
xNR'
2) within those compounds.