Plural of carboxyl: the functional group (-COOH) containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms that makes organic molecules acidic and reactive.
From carbo- (carbon) plus -oxyl (related to oxidation). Plural form of carboxyl, a term from 19th-century organic chemistry, from German Carboxyl.
Carboxyls are like molecular handles that cells use to grab and attach molecules to each other—proteins stick together because of carboxyls, enzymes grab their targets using them, and antibodies recognize invaders partly through carboxyl interactions.
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