4-methoxybenzyl
|4-meth-ox-y-benz-yl|
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/fɔr ˌmɛθəˈksi ˈbɛnzəl/
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/fɔː ˌmɛθəˈksi ˈbɛnzəl/
benzyl group with a para-methoxy substituent
Etymology
'4-methoxybenzyl' is a compound term: the numeral '4' denotes the para position on the benzene ring; 'methoxy' comes from 'methyl' + 'oxy' indicating an O–CH3 substituent; and 'benzyl' is formed from 'benzene' + the chemical suffix '-yl' denoting a radical or substituent.
'benzyl' derives from 'benzene' (named after benzoin, a resin), with the suffix '-yl' adopted in 19th-century chemical nomenclature to indicate a radical or substituent; 'methoxy' was coined to describe an oxygen-linked methyl group (meth- for methyl + -oxy for an oxygen linkage). The assembled modern systematic form '4-methoxybenzyl' follows IUPAC-style locant-prefix-root construction.
Initially the component names described simple sources or groups ('benzene' from resin names, 'methyl' from root naming); over time they became standardized chemical terms, and the composite '4-methoxybenzyl' came to specifically denote a benzyl substituent bearing a methoxy group at the 4-position.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a benzyl substituent in which the benzene ring is substituted at the 4-position (para) by a methoxy group (–OCH3); often used to name a protecting group or substituent in organic chemistry.
The 4-methoxybenzyl protecting group was removed under acidic conditions.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
describing a compound that contains a 4-methoxybenzyl substituent (e.g., 4-methoxybenzyl chloride).
We synthesized the 4-methoxybenzyl-protected alcohol before further functionalization.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/16 15:41