functional group

American  

noun

1. a group of atoms responsible for the characteristic behavior of the class of compounds in which the group occurs, as the hydroxyl group in alcohols.

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functional group British  

noun

1. chem the group of atoms in a compound, such as the hydroxyl group in an alcohol, that determines the chemical behaviour of the compound

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functional group Scientific  

1. An atom or group of atoms that replaces hydrogen in an organic compound. Functional groups define the structure of a family of compounds and determine its properties. The carboxyl and hydroxyl groups are functional groups that define the compounds they are part of as organic acids and alcohols, respectively.

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Etymology

Origin of functional group

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

They then used a series of reactions to attach a benzoyl functional group to dissolved amine- and alcohol-containing metabolites.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024

They also discovered that the island region was located at the same position in some RLKs, nearly all of which belong to a functional group that regulates growth and development.

From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2024

The –OH group is the functional group of an alcohol.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The basal nuclei in the cerebrum are connected with a few more nuclei in the brain stem that together act as a functional group that forms a motor pathway.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Their original profession was probably oil-pressing, and the caste may be regarded as a functional group recruited from the respectable middle class of Hindu society.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV Kumhar-Yemkala by Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane)