Ethyl group

Ethyl group
For other meanings of "ethyl", see Ethyl.
The structure of a typical ethyl compound

In chemistry, an ethyl group is an alkyl substituent derived from ethane (C2H6). It has the formula -C2H5 and is very often abbreviated -Et.

Ethylation is the formation of a compound by introduction of the ethyl functional group, C2H5.

Etymology

The name of the group is derived from the Aether, the first-born Greek elemental god of air, and "hyle", referring to "stuff".

Ethyl is the IUPAC nomenclature of organic chemistry term for an alkane (or alkyl) molecule, using the prefix "eth-" to indicate the presence of two carbon atoms in the molecule.