Alkyl group

In organic chemistry, an alkyl group is an alkane missing one hydrogen.

A cycloalkyl group is derived from a cycloalkane by removal of a hydrogen atom from a ring and has the general formula −CnH2n−1.

In structural formulae, the symbol R is used to designate a generic (unspecified) alkyl group.

In chemistry, alkyl is a group, a substituent, that is attached to other molecular fragments.

In medicinal chemistry, the incorporation of alkyl chains into some chemical compounds increases their lipophilicity.

Free alkyls occur as neutral radicals, as anions, or as cations.

However, persistent alkyl radicals with half-lives "from seconds to years" have been prepared.

Alkyl radicals can be generated by a photochemical reaction or by homolytic cleavage.

According to the usual rules of nomenclature, alkyl groups are included in the name of the molecule before the root, as in methylpentane.

[7] This was followed by methyl (Dumas and Peligot in 1834, meaning "spirit of wood"[8]) and amyl (Auguste Cahours in 1840[9]).