Fenchyl

/ˈfɛnkaɪl/ noun

Definition

A chemical group derived from fenchone, used in organic chemistry and the synthesis of aromatic compounds.

Etymology

Combination of 'fenchone' with the chemical suffix '-yl' (which denotes a substituted chemical group or radical). Part of the systematic nomenclature for derived compounds developed by 19th-century organic chemists.

Kelly Says

The '-yl' suffix is chemistry's building-block language—add it to any molecule and you're describing a version of it missing one hydrogen atom, ready to attach to something else.

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