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Methyl group
In chemistry, a methyl group is a hydrophobic alkyl functional group derived from methane (CH4). It has the formula -CH3 and is very often abbreviated as -Me in the structure of a molecule. This hydrocarbon unit can be found in many organic compounds. It is customarily written as H3C when on the left of a bond; for example, ethane is represented as H3C-CH3.

Methyl groups can be incorporated in 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:

Reactivity

The introduction of methyl groups as new substituents in a compound usually increases the lipophilicity of the compound and reduces its water solubility. It should improve the ease of absorption of the analogue into a biological membrane but will make its release from biological membranes into the aqueous media more difficult. The incorporation of a methyl group can have one of three general effects on the rate of metabolism of an analogue:
  1. an increased rate of metabolism due to oxidation of the methyl group
  2. an increase in the rate of metabolism due to demethylation by the transfer of the methyl group to another compound, or a reduction of the analogue.


Chemically, the reactivity of a methyl group depends partially on what it is attached to. For example, when a methyl group is part of an alkane, it is extremely unreactive and resists all but the strongest of acids, bases, oxidizing agents, and reducing agents. However, in the compound toluene, C6H5CH3, the methyl group is considerably more reactive due to the electron donating abilities 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), which produces 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 a -N=N- linkage, which lose the extremely stable dinitrogen molecule on heating.

See also

  • methanol history for the etymology of methyl
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hydrophobicity (from the combining form of water in Attic Greek hydro- and for fear phobos) refers to the physical property of a molecule (known as a hydrophobe) that is repelled from a mass of water [1].
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An alkyl is a univalent (or free) radical containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms arranged in a chain. The alkyls form a homologous series with the general formula CnH2n+1.
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In organic chemistry, functional groups (or moieties) are specific groups of atoms within molecules, that are responsible for the characteristic chemical reactions of those molecules.
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Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula CH4. It is the simplest alkane, and the principal component of natural gas. Methane's bond angles are 109.
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4, 2
(mildly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity 2.55 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies
(more) 1st: 1086.5 kJmol−1
2nd: 2352.6 kJmol−1
3rd: 4620.5 kJmol−1

Atomic radius 70 pm
Atomic radius (calc.
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1, −1
(amphoteric oxide)
Electronegativity 2.20 (Pauling scale) More

Atomic radius 25 pm
Atomic radius (calc.) 53 pm
Covalent radius 37 pm
Van der Waals radius 120 pm
Miscellaneous

Thermal conductivity (300 K) 180.
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A chemical formula is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. A chemical formula is also a short way of showing how a chemical reaction occurs.
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4, 2
(mildly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity 2.55 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies
(more) 1st: 1086.5 kJmol−1
2nd: 2352.6 kJmol−1
3rd: 4620.5 kJmol−1

Atomic radius 70 pm
Atomic radius (calc.
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1, −1
(amphoteric oxide)
Electronegativity 2.20 (Pauling scale) More

Atomic radius 25 pm
Atomic radius (calc.) 53 pm
Covalent radius 37 pm
Van der Waals radius 120 pm
Miscellaneous

Thermal conductivity (300 K) 180.
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hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. With relation to chemical terminology, aromatic hydrocarbons or arenes, alkanes, alkenes and alkyne-based compounds composed entirely of carbon or hydrogen are referred to as "Pure" hydrocarbons, whereas
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organic compounds]] An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon; for historical reasons discussed below, a few types of compounds such as carbonates, carbon oxides and cyanides, as well as elemental carbon are
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ETHANE is a mnemonic indicating a protocol used by emergency services to report situations which they may be faced with, especially as it relates to major incidents[1][2], where is may be used as part of their emergency action principles.
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In organic and inorganic chemistry, nucleophilic substitution is a fundamental class of substitution reaction in which an "electron rich" nucleophile selectively bonds with or attacks the positive charge of a group or atom called the leaving group; rarely referred to as an
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Iodomethane, commonly called methyl iodide and commonly abbreviated "MeI", is the chemical compound with the formula CH3I. This dense volatile liquid is related to methane by replacement of one hydrogen atom by an atom of iodine and its dipole moment is 1.
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Methyllithium is an organolithium reagent with the empirical formula CH3Li. This s-block organometallic compound adopts an oligomeric structure both in solution and in the solid state.
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A leaving group is an atom or group of atoms that detaches from a chemical substance. The remaining molecule or fragment remaining is known as the residual or main part. The term leaving group is dependent on the context of the statement.
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Metabolism is the complete set of chemical reactions that occur in living cells. These processes are the basis of life, allowing cells to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories.
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Redox (shorthand for reduction/oxidation reaction) describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed.

This can be either a simple redox process such as the oxidation of carbon to yield carbon dioxide, or the
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Alkanes, also known as Paraffins, are chemical compounds that consist only of the elements carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) (i.e. hydrocarbons), where each of these atoms are linked together exclusively by single bonds (i.e. they are saturated compounds) without any cyclic structure (i.
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Toluene, also known as methylbenzene or phenylmethane, is a clear, water-insoluble liquid with the typical smell of paint thinners, redolent of the sweet smell of the related compound benzene.
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In chemistry, the phenyl group or phenyl ring (often abbreviated as -Ph) is the functional group with the formula

-C6H5


where the six carbon atoms are arranged in a cyclic ring structure. It is in the Aryl group.
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In chemistry, an electrophile (literally electron-lover) is a reagent attracted to electrons that participates in a chemical reaction by accepting an electron pair in order to bond to a nucleophile.
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manganate(VII) is a chemical compound that contains the manganate(VII) ion (MnO4−). Because manganese is in the +7 oxidation state, the manganate(VII) ion is a strong oxidizer.
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Benzoic acid, C7H6O2 (or C6H5COOH), is a colorless crystalline solid and the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid. The name derived from gum benzoin, which was for a long time the only source for benzoic acid.
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ETHANE is a mnemonic indicating a protocol used by emergency services to report situations which they may be faced with, especially as it relates to major incidents[1][2], where is may be used as part of their emergency action principles.
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Etymology is the study of the history of words - when they entered a language, from what source, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.

In languages with a long written history, etymology makes use of philology, the study of how words change from culture to
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