noun / adjective
methyl
METH-ul/mˈɛθʌl/
A chemical group consisting of one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms.
A methyl group contains one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms.
Etymology
The wine-and-wood roots refer to wood alcohol, in which methylene was detected. Methyl was shortened from that chemical name to label the one-carbon, three-hydrogen group.
In context
a methyl group is a carbon atom with three hydrogen atoms attached to it methylation is a reaction in which a methyl group is attached to a molecule
More examples
- The diagram shows a methyl group attached to a nitrogen atom.
- Adding a methyl group changes the molecule's properties.
- The chemist identifies two methyl groups in the structure.
Forms
methyl · methyls
methylate verb — To add a methyl group chemically.
methylation noun — The chemical addition of a methyl group.
Similar words
- alkyl
- Broader term for groups that include methyl and longer chains.