Word
alkyl
Definition
n. a part of a chemical compound that is made of only carbon and hydrogen. It is like a branch that sticks out from a main chain of atoms.
n. a functional group in organic chemistry consisting of a chain of carbon atoms with single bonds and hydrogen atoms. It is derived from an alkane by the removal of one hydrogen atom.
Examples
“The chemist added an alkyl group to the molecule.”
“In the laboratory, students learned how to identify an alkyl chain within a complex organic structure.”
“The stability of the alkyl group depends on the number of carbon atoms in the chain, with longer chains generally providing more structural integrity to the overall compound.”
Examples
simple
“The chemist added an alkyl group to the molecule.”
contextual
“In the laboratory, students learned how to identify an alkyl chain within a complex organic structure.”
complex
“The stability of the alkyl group depends on the number of carbon atoms in the chain, with longer chains generally providing more structural integrity to the overall compound.”
Etymology
From alc(ohol) + -yl.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/alkyl