methyl

Borrowed from German Methyl; compare French méthyle.

French chemists Jean-Baptiste Dumas and Eugene Peligot, after determining methanol's chemical structure, introduced "methylene" from the Ancient Greek μέθυ (méthu, “wine”) + ὕλη (húlē, “wood, material”) with the intention of highlighting its origins, "alcohol made from wood (substance)". The term "methyl" was derived in about 1840 by back-formation from "methylene", and was then applied to describe "methyl alcohol".

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: mĕʹthĭl, IPA^(key): /ˈmɛθaɪl/, /ˈmɛθɪl/, /ˈmiːθaɪl/, /ˈmiːθɪl/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛθəl/

• Audio (Canada):

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• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ɛθɪl

methyl (plural methyls)

1. (organic chemistry) The univalent hydrocarbon radical, CH₃-, formally derived from methane by the loss of a hydrogen atom; a compound or part of a compound formed by the attachment of such a radical.
   • 1973, Robert E. Cornish, Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies, page 119:

     You might point out in the theory of oxidation of oils, in development of rancidity in oils, that many methyls accelerate this oxidation of oils. I do not want to burden you with a lecture on chemistry but there are some methyls like iron which has both a valence of two and of three. Another example is cobalt which has a valence of both two and three.

   • 2003, Russell Timkovich, 73: The Family of d-Type Hemes: Tetrapyrroles with Unusual Substituents, Karl M. Kadish, Kevin M. Smith, Roger Guilard (editors), The Porphyrin Handbook, Volume 12: The Iron and Cobalt Pigments: Biosynthesis, Structure and Degradation, page 134:

     The southern acetates must be decarboxylated to methyls.

   • 2005, Bruce A. Hathaway, Organic Chemistry the Easy Way, page 38:

     The most stable form has the groups staggered and the methyls as far from each other as possible (DA^{[dihedral angle]} = 180°).

From meth- +‎ -yl.

• IPA^(key): /meːˈtil/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: me‧thyl

methyl n (uncountable)

1. (organic chemistry) methyl