Acetyl: Encyclopedia - Acetyl

Acetyl

Acetyl (IUPAC name ethanoyl) is the acyl of acetic acid, with chemical formula -COCH₃, sometimes abbreviated to Ac (not to be confused with the element actinium). A molecule containing an acetyl group has the chemical structure

(where R denotes the remainder of the molecule.)

The acetyl radical contains a methyl group single-bonded to a carbonyl. The carbon of the carbonyl has an lone electron available, with which it forms a chemical bond to the remainder of the molecule.

The acetyl radical is a component of many organic compounds, including acetyl-CoA, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and the analgesics acetaminophen and acetylsalicylic acid (better known as aspirin).

The introduction of an acetyl group into a molecule is called acetylation (or IUPAC name ethanoylation).

Category: Functional groups

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Acetyl", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki