To chemically introduce a carbonyl group (carbon bonded to oxygen) into an organic molecule.
From carbonyl + -ate (verb-forming suffix). The -ate suffix is used to create verbs from chemical terms, indicating a chemical transformation.
Carbonylation is how chemists transform simple molecules into complex pharmaceuticals—by inserting a carbonyl group, they can change a molecule's behavior completely, which is why this reaction is central to drug discovery.
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