Methoxy group

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Methoxy group
Methoxy Group General Formulas V.1.png
Different spellings of the blue- marked methoxy group. R = organyl residue.
Methoxy Group Examples V.1.png
Examples of molecules having a blue -labeled methoxy group, above, from left to right of methanol and tert -butyl methyl ether , below methyl acetate ( methyl acetate ) and a Methoxylat anion.

The methoxy group is one of the simplest atomic arrangements in organic chemistry, adding a heteroatom (oxygen) to a methyl group .

The formula of the substituent is –OCH 3 , sometimes also written as –OMe .

The methoxy group is not an independent chemical substance, but always part of a larger molecule (see illustration). The smallest molecule with this group is methanol , but it is considered an alcohol with a hydroxy group .

properties

Replacing a hydrogen atom in an alkane with a methoxy group increases polarity and reactivity. For example, ethers are split into alcohols with aqueous acids and higher temperatures.

A methoxy group as the first substituent has a moderately activating and ortho (next to) or para (opposite) directing effect in electrophilic aromatic substitution ( + M effect ).

literature

  • Organikum, 16th edition, VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-326-00076-6 .