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What is an Ethyl Group?

Answer – An ethyl group is an alkyl group with the formula C2H5, or CH3CH2.

Explanation: 

Alkanes are organic compounds that have an open chain structure and single bonds throughout. They are denoted by the formula CnH2n+2, where n is an integer. 

The removal of one hydrogen atom from an alkane leads to the formation of an alkyl group with the formula CnH2n+1. Much like their parent alkanes, alkyl groups are composed of only carbon and hydrogen atoms. They are sometimes denoted by R (which could also represent aryl and alkenyl groups) and impact the reactivity of molecules by functioning as electron donating groups.

Ethane is an example of an alkane; its formula is C2H6. When ethane loses a hydrogen atom, its corresponding alkyl group called an ethyl group is formed. It is often abbreviated as Et.

CH3CH3H  CH3CH2

(Ethane)                      (Ethyl)

The structure of an ethyl group is as follows:

Ethyl group structure

Since carbon is tetravalent, the site of the lost hydrogen atom has one free valence electron that can bind to other atoms or groups, making the ethyl group reactive.

Example:

An ethyl group can combine with a carboxyl group to form propanoic acid.

CH3CH2 + COOH  CH3CH2COOH

(Ethyl group)  (Carboxyl group)  (Propionic acid)

Below is the structure for propionic acid:

Propionic acid structure


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