What is Alkyl?
[[File:Various Presentations of an Alkyl Group V.1.png|thumb|right|Different ways of drawing the structure of the isobutyl group, an alkyl group with branches.]] '''Alkyl''' is a group of [[organic chemistry|chemicals with carbon atoms]]. They are like [[alkane]]s but they have one fewer hydrogen atom. An alkyl is a [[functional group|piece of a molecule that makes it do or act a certain way]]. Alkyls have only carbon and hydrogen atoms, which can be one long chain or have multiple branches.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Glossary: Alkyl group|url=https://www.greenfacts.org/glossary/abc/alkyl-group-alkylation-alkylate.htm#:~:text=An%20alkyl%20is%20a%20functional,5%20(derived%20from%20butane).|access-date=2021-04-08|website=www.greenfacts.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-05-03|title=3.3: Alkyl Groups|url=https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Organic_Chemistry/Map%3A_Organic_Chemistry_(McMurry)/03%3A_Organic_Compounds-_Alkanes_and_Their_Stereochemistry/3.03%3A_Alkyl_Groups|access-date=2021-04-08|website=Chemistry LibreTexts|language=en}}</ref> Alkyl groups have the formula {{chem2|C_{''n''}H_{2''n''+1} }}, where n can be any whole number so long as it is the same one. (For example, if there are two carbons, there must be five hydrogens because 2*2+1=5.) == References == {{reflist}} {{Functional group}} [[Category:Organic chemistry]]