To introduce an ethyl group into a chemical molecule through a chemical reaction, a common process in organic synthesis.
From ethyl + the suffix -ate (indicating a chemical action or process); developed as chemists needed verbs to describe reactions.
Ethylation is a favorite reaction for chemists trying to improve drugs—adding an ethyl group can make a medicine work longer in your body or be absorbed better, which is why pharmaceutical companies ethylate compounds so frequently.
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