Cyanbenzyl

/ˌsaɪ.ən.ˈben.zɪl/ noun

Definition

An organic compound combining a cyanide group with a benzyl group (a benzene ring with a -CH₂- attachment), used in organic synthesis.

Etymology

From cyan- (cyanide) + benzyl (from benzene + -yl, meaning a molecular group). Created in 19th-century organic chemistry as synthetic compounds became more complex.

Kelly Says

Cyanbenzyl is the kind of molecule that sounds impossibly complicated but represents the power of organic chemistry—you can take a benzene ring and a cyanide group and snap them together into one molecule with completely new properties.

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