Demethylation

Demethylation is the chemical process resulting in the removal a of methyl group (CH₃) from a molecule. A common way of demethylation is the replacement of a methyl group by a hydrogen atom, resulting in a net loss of one carbon and two hydrogen atoms.

In biochemistry

• In biochemical systems, the process of demethylation is often catalyzed by an enzyme such as one of the Cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of liver enzymes and by fungal aromatic peroxygenases such as Agrocybe aegerita peroxygenase.

Examples

Krapcho decarboxylation:

See also

• Methylation, the addition of a methyl group to a substrate