A chemical compound containing both a halogen atom and a hydroxyl group (-OH) on the same carbon structure.
From 'halo-' (halogen) + 'hydrin' (from Greek 'hydro' meaning water, reflecting the hydroxyl group). A specialized term from 20th-century organic chemistry.
Halohydrins are useful intermediate chemicals in synthesis because the halogen and hydroxyl group sit right next to each other, creating molecular 'handles' that chemists can grab and use to build more complex drugs and materials.
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