Describing a chemical compound that contains two hydroxyl groups (OH groups), which are common in sugars, alcohols, and other organic molecules.
From 'di-' (two) + 'hydroxy' (containing OH groups). This became standard chemical nomenclature in the 19th-20th centuries as organic chemists classified compounds by functional groups.
Dihydroxy compounds are everywhere in nature—glucose is dihydroxy in many of its forms, and many dihydroxy compounds are the building blocks of life, which is why the term appears constantly in biochemistry textbooks.
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