the.com/methyl

The smallest alkyl group, basically chemistry's version of a shrug.

means A methyl group is a single carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms (CH3), the simplest building block that attaches to larger molecules in organic chemistry.

from From French 'méthyle,' coined in the 1830s by chemists, built from Greek 'methy' (wine) and 'hyle' (wood/matter) — because the group was first identified in 'wood spirit,' the old name for methanol, which was itself obtained by distilling wood. So the name literally traces back to 'wine-wood,' a nod to methanol's double life as both a wine-like liquid and a product of wood distillation.

formula
CH3, one carbon, three hydrogens, always attached
never alone
only exists as a fragment, never a free molecule
big job
methylation switches genes on and off in DNA
everyday alias
methanol is just methyl alcohol, wood spirit's secret name
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