alkyl

[al-kuh l]Chemistry

adjective

containing an alkyl group.

noun

an alkyl group.

Nearby words

Origin of alkyl

1880–85; < German, equivalent to Alk(ohol) alcohol + -yl -yl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alkyl

All the salts are explosive and readily interact with the alkyl iodides.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various
The potassium salt reacts with the alkyl iodides to give N-substituted alkyl derivatives.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3|Various
The hydrogen of the hydroxyl group in phenol can be replaced by metals, by alkyl groups and by acid radicals.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3|Various
They may also be prepared by heating the alkyl halides with silver oxide.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7|Various

We may also notice that thio-ethers combine with alkyl iodides to form sulphine or sulphonium compounds, R3SI.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for alkyl

alkyl

noun

(modifier) of, consisting of, or containing the monovalent group C n H 2 n +1alkyl group or radical

an organometallic compound, such as tetraethyl lead, containing an alkyl group bound to a metal atom

Word Origin for alkyl

C19: from German, from Alk (ohol) alcohol + -yl

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for alkyl

alkyl

[ăl′kəl]

n.

A monovalent radical, such as ethyl or propyl, having the general formula CnH2n+1.

Science definitions for alkyl

alkyl

[ăl′kəl]

A radical that has the general formula CnH2n+1, formed by removing a hydrogen atom from an alkane. Ethyl and propyl are alkyls.