Methyl group - Citizendia

Methyl group

In chemistry, a methyl group is a hydrophobic alkyl functional group named after methane (C H₄). Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties In Chemistry, hydrophobicity (from the combining form of water in Attic Greek hydro- and for fear phobos) refers to the physical property of An alkyl is a Univalent radical consisting of Carbon and Hydrogen atoms arranged in a chain In Organic chemistry, functional groups are specific groups of Atoms within Molecules that are responsible for the characteristic Chemical reactions Methane is a Chemical compound with the molecular formula. It is the simplest Alkane, and the principal component of Natural gas. Carbon (kɑɹbən is a Chemical element with the symbol C and its Atomic number is 6 Hydrogen (ˈhaɪdrədʒən is the Chemical element with Atomic number 1 It has the formula -C H₃ and is often abbreviated -Me. A chemical formula is a way of expressing information about the Atoms that constitute a particular Chemical compound, and how the relationship between those atoms changes Carbon (kɑɹbən is a Chemical element with the symbol C and its Atomic number is 6 Hydrogen (ˈhaɪdrədʒən is the Chemical element with Atomic number 1 Such hydrocarbon groups occur in many organic compounds. In Organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an Organic compound consisting entirely of Hydrogen and Carbon. An organic compound is any member of a large class of Chemical compounds whose Molecules contain Carbon.

Methyl groups can be incorporated into organic compounds by an S_N2 reaction on iodomethane, or by the reaction of methyl lithium or MeMgCl with a carbon atom that is substituted with a leaving group. The SN2 reaction (also known as bimolecular nucleophilic substitution) is a type of Nucleophilic substitution, where a lone pair from a Nucleophile Iodomethane, commonly called Methyl iodide and commonly abbreviated "MeI" is the Chemical compound with the formula CH3I Methyllithium is an Organolithium reagent with the empirical formula CH3Li A leaving group is an Atom or group of atoms that detaches from a chemical substance

See also: methylation

Reactivity

The introduction of methyl groups as substituents into a compound usually increases its lipophilicity and reduces its solubility in water. Methylation is a term used in the chemical sciences to denote the attachment or substitution of a methyl group on various substrates. 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. Metabolism is the set of Chemical reactions that occur in living Organisms in order to maintain Life. Redox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction describes all Chemical reactions in which atoms have their Oxidation number ( Oxidation state

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. Alkanes, also known as Paraffins are Chemical compounds that consist only of the elements Carbon (C and Hydrogen (H (i But in toluene, C₆H₅CH₃, the methyl group is considerably more reactive, due to the electron donating propensity of the ring. Toluene, also known as methylbenzene or phenylmethane, is a clear water -insoluble liquid with the typical smell of Paint thinners redolent of In Organic chemistry, the phenyl group or phenyl ring (often abbreviated as -Ph) is the Functional group with the formula - Electrophilic reagents are then able to attack the methyl group. In Chemistry, an electrophile (literally electron-lover) is a Reagent attracted to Electrons that participates in a chemical reaction by accepting For example, oxidation with permanganate converts the methyl group to carboxyl (-COOH), to produce benzoic acid. Benzoic acid, C7H6O2 (or C6H5COOH is a colorless crystalline solid and the simplest Aromatic Carboxylic 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. 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 where 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.