Methyl Definition (Methyl Group)

Methyl Definition (Methyl Group) Methyl is a functional group derived from methane containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, -CH3. In chemical formulas, it may be abbreviated as Me. While the methyl group is commonly found in larger organic molecules, methyl may exist on its own as an anion( CH3−), cation (CH3), or radical (CH3). However, methyl on its own is extremely reactive. The methyl group in a compound is typically the most stable functional group in the molecule. The term methyl was introduced around 1840 by French chemists Eugene Peligot and Jean-Baptiste Dumas from back formation of methylene. Methylene, in turn, was named from the Greek words methy, meaning wine, and hyle, for wood or patch of trees. Methyl alcohol roughly translates as alcohol made from a woody substance. Also Known As: (-CH3), methyl group Examples of Methyl Groups Examples of compounds containing the methyl group are methyl chloride, CH3Cl, and methyl alchohol or methanol, CH3OH.