hydroxyl group

noun

1. the univalent group –OH, as in inorganic compounds, such as sodium hydroxide, NaOH, or as in organic compounds, such as ethyl alcohol, C 2 H 6 O.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hydroxyl group¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The third acid group of the citric acid then reacts with the hydroxyl group on the same molecule.

From Science Daily

"This incision by ERCC1-XPF creates a markable free hydroxyl group in the DNA, enabling us to sequence DNA and locate these breaks," explains Dr. Son.

From Science Daily

Due to the geometry of the feldspar crystal, these hydroxyl groups are positioned in a way that makes them ideal anchoring points for water molecules.

From Science Daily

In the end, swapping the position of a hydrogen atom and a hydroxyl group on the backbone of the molecule blocked its ability to bind to cholesterol.

From Science Magazine

The authors also discovered that one of the candidate cytochrome P450 enzymes catalyses two steps in the proposed biosynthetic pathway: the installation of two hydroxyl groups on a benzene ring in an intermediate compound.

From Nature