Methyl group
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In chemistry, a methyl group is a hydrophobic alkyl functional group derived from methane (CH4). It has the formula -CH3 and is very often abbreviated -Me.
This hydrocarbon unit can be found in many organic compounds, such as biodiesel, which is a mixture of fatty acid methyl esters.
When a methyl group is substituted as the R group in an amino acid, it forms alanine.
See methanol history for its etymology.
The introduction of methyl groups as new substituents in a compound usually increases the lipophilicity of the compound and reduces its water solubility. It should improve the ease of absorption of the analogue into a biological membrane but will make its release from biological membranes into the aqueous media more difficult. The incorporation of a methyl group can have one of three general effects on the rate of metabolism of an analogue: (i) an increased rate of metabolism due to oxidation of the methyl group; (ii) an increase in the rate of metabolism due to demethylation by the transfer of the methyl group to another compound; or a reduction of the analogue.
[edit] See also
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de:Methylgruppe es:Grupo metilo fr:Méthyle nl:Methylgroep pl:Grupa metylowa ru:Метил fi:Metyyli sv:Metylgrupp vi:Nhóm methyl zh:甲基
