acetyl

1 9.3

A small chemical group made from acetic acid that attaches to other molecules

noun
/əˈsiːtəl/

Specialized

: acetilo

In biochemistry, the acetyl group is represented by the formula CH₃CO-.
acetyl carnitine
acetyl Cysteine
acetyl groups

They, they chip up, clip off chemicals called acetyls.

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Examples

Here is the acetyl of the acetyl COA substrate.
It's a substitution reaction at an acetyl carbon, right?
So notice it's put this acetyl group on the original acid or Ester.
This is all my black and white delrin, my acetyl copolymer, oh so pretty.
...carbohydrates, the Acetyl-CoA.

The Senior (2025)
And so you can have a few different ways to get to the Krebs cycle, either being through acetyl COA or through glucose going through the glycolysis to pyruvate.

Andrew Huberman
Look, the cycle harnesses the available chemical energy of acetyl coenzyme A into the reducing power of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.

The Senior (2025)
Acetyl transferases are having a low affinity for acetyl COA as compared to kinases which have a high affinity for ATP.
Based upon overall low gene expression levels for fatty acid synthesis, the results also suggest that the build-up of precursors to the acetyl-CoA carboxylases may play a more significant role.

Blog text (18)
Adding an acetyl substituent can significantly enhance a compound's solubility in water.

Synonyms

acetyl group

vsacetyl

Specialized

7.2

A small chemical part with atoms CH3CO that attaches to other molecules

is the more common simple name used for that same unit

ethanoyl group

vsacetyl

Specialized

7.5

A small part of a molecule with formula CH3CO that changes how the molecule reacts, also called an acetyl group

is the familiar alternative preferred in everyday chemical naming

ethanoyl radical

vsacetyl

Specialized

9.9

A part of a molecule used in chemistry, formed from the acid in vinegar, written CH3CO

is the neutral term for the same group rather than reactive form

acetyl radical

vsacetyl

Specialized

7.9

A small group of atoms from acetic acid that can attach to other molecules

is the general stable group name, not specific to reactive fragments

Compounds

acetyl chloride

Specialized

8.0

A colorless liquid with a strong smell that evaporates easily and is used in chemistry to make medicines and perfumes

acetyl radical

Specialized

7.9

A small group of atoms from acetic acid that can attach to other molecules

acetyl group

Specialized

7.2

A small chemical part with atoms CH3CO that attaches to other molecules

Surface Forms

acetyl singular

acetyls plural

Morphology

acetyl = acetic (opaque) = acet + yl

The form is a regular chemical formation ('acetic' -> 'acetyl' via the suffix '-yl'), but understanding it requires domain-specific chemistry knowledge.

Etymology

Acetyl comes from acetic, a word from Latin that means 'vinegar', plus the chemical ending -yl that means a 'group'. So an acetyl is like the 'vinegar' part of a molecule — a small group taken from acetic acid, which helps explain why it appears in many chemicals and drugs.