methylate

American  

[meth-uh-leyt] / ˈmɛθ əˌleɪt /

noun

1. Also called methoxide.  any derivative of methyl alcohol, as sodium methylate, CH 3 ONa.

2. any compound containing the methyl group.

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verb (used with object)

methylated, methylating

1. (in a compound) to replace (one or more hydrogen atoms) with the methyl group.

2. to mix with methyl alcohol, as in the denaturation of ethyl alcohol.

methylate British  

/ ˈmɛθɪˌleɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to mix with methanol

2. to undergo or cause to undergo a chemical reaction in which a methyl group is introduced into a molecule

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noun

1. another name for methoxide

methylate Scientific  

/ mĕth′ə-lāt′ /

1. An organic compound having the general formula CH ₃ OR, in which R is a metal. Methylates are formed by replacing the hydrogen of the hydroxyl group (OH) of methyl alcohol with a metal.

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1. To combine with the methyl radical.

Other Word Forms

• methylation
  noun
• methylator
  noun
• unmethylated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of methylate

First recorded in 1825–35; methyl- + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

methylate methylated

RBPs methylate miRNA to inhibit its function and thus stop mRNA degradation.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

They form unstable addition products with sodium ethylate or methylate.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various

The latter is then made to methylate a product, aniline, derived indirectly from coal-tar.

From Coal and What We Get from It by Meldola, Raphael

The preliminary experiments showed that condensation with sodium methylate takes a long time and gives a product which it is difficult to handle in large quantities.

From Organic Syntheses by Conant, James Bryant

Last night, however, I managed to secure and methylate a good-sized scorpion.

From Australia Twice Traversed, Illustrated, by Giles, Ernest

Tumor cells, whose DNA was less methylated, responded sensitively to the Wnt factors, which resulted in extravasation from the blood vessel and subsequent latency.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 2, 2024

Instead, some genes were methylated, which simply means methyl groups were attached to certain nucleotides along the sequence.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Some of the methylated or unmethylated spots made sense, such as tags on genes involved in cell adhesion that might influence how easily a fertilized egg splits into two embryos.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 28, 2021

In addition to prescription medications, she used methylated spirits, tea tree oil, and even put toothpaste on the spots.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2020

The spray was a 25 per cent DDT concentrate suspended in a solvent containing methylated naphthalenes.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson