The univalent hydrocarbon radical, CH3 -, derived from methane and occurring in many important organic compounds.
[French méthyle, back-formation from méthylène, methylene. See methylene.]
methylic me·thyl'ic (mə-thĭl'ĭk) adj.
methyl
Dictionary:
meth·yl (mĕth'əl)  |
n.
The univalent hydrocarbon radical, CH3 -, derived from methane and occurring in many important organic compounds.
The univalent hydrocarbon radical, CH3 -, derived from methane and occurring in many important organic compounds.
| 5min Related Video: methyl |
| Columbia Encyclopedia: methyl |
methyl (mĕth'əl), CH3, organic free radical or alkyl group derived from methane by the removal of one hydrogen atom.
| Veterinary Dictionary: methyl |
The monovalent radical, −CH3.
- m. alcohol — see methyl alcohol.
- m. bromide — a soil and grain fumigant. Poisoning by this compound causes incoordination and somnolence. Called also bromoethane.
- m. carbamate — see propoxur.
- m. demeton — an organophosphorus insecticide. Called also methyl systox, oxydemeton-methyl.
- m. harmane (3-methyl) — carboline toxin found in plants.
- m. hydroxybenzoate — see methylparaben.
- m. p-hydroxybenzoate — a sex pheromone in the vaginal secretions of the bitch in estrus; it stimulates mounting behavior in dogs.
- m. orange — an orange-yellow aniline dye, used as an indicator with a pH range of 3.2–4.4 and a color change from pink to yellow.
- m. parathion — a very toxic organophosphorus insecticide.
- m. red test — a biochemical test for identification of enterobacteria.
- m. salicylate — a natural or synthetic wintergreen oil, used as a topical analgesic and as a clearing agent when mounting parasites. Called also oil of sweet birch.
- m. systox — see methyl demeton (above).
| Wikipedia: Methyl group |
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009) |
In chemistry, a methyl group is a hydrophobic alkyl functional group named after methane (CH4). It has the formula -CH3 and is often abbreviated -Me. Such hydrocarbon groups occur in many organic compounds.
Methyl groups can be incorporated into organic compounds by an SN2 reaction on iodomethane, or by the reaction of methyl lithium or MeMgCl with a carbon atom that is substituted with a leaving group.
See also: methylation
Reactivity
The introduction of methyl groups as substituents into a compound usually increases its lipophilicity and reduces its solubility in water. It should ease its absorption into biological membranes and make its release into aqueous surroundings more difficult. Incorporating a methyl group into a molecule can have any of three effects, each increasing its reactivity (the rate of its metabolism):
- by oxidizing the methyl group,
- by demethylation (the transfer of the methyl group to another compound), or
- by reduction, reducing the analogue.
The reactivity of a methyl group depends on what it is attached to. When occurring in an alkane, it is quite unreactive and resists all but the strongest of acids, bases, oxidizing agents, and reducing agents. But, in toluene, C6H5CH3, the methyl group is considerably more reactive, due to the electron-donating propensity of the ring. Electrophilic reagents are then able to attack the methyl group. For example, oxidation with permanganate converts the methyl group to carboxyl (-COOH), to produce benzoic acid.
Methyl radical
The methyl radical is the substance CH3 on its own, with an unpaired electron. Though it readily dimerizes to ethane, it is stable enough (unlike atomic hydrogen) to be observed as a dilute gas. It can be produced by thermal decomposition of certain compounds, especially those with an -N=N- linkage, which lose the extremely stable dinitrogen molecule on heating.
See also
- methanol history for the etymology of methyl
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Shopping: methyl |
Learn More
 | wintergreen oil |
| wood alcohol |
| meth– (prefix) |
 | What is methyl isocyanate? Read answer... |
| What is methyl abietate? Read answer... |
| What is methyl stearate? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | What is thiophanate methyl? |
| What is an example of methyl? |
| What is cpg methylation? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
 |
| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Methyl group". Read more |
Related answers
- Is methyl hydrophobic?
- What is methyl phenobarbital?
- What is methyl orange?
- What is methyl masterdrol?
- What is methyl paraben?
ADVERTISEMENT
Answer these
- What is to methylate?
- What are methylates?
- What is methylated?
- What is methylation?
- What does methylation means?
- What is un methylated?
Mentioned in
