de-alkylate
|de-alk-y-late|
🇺🇸
/diːˌæl.kəˈleɪt/
🇬🇧
/diːˌæl.kɪˈleɪt/
remove alkyl group
Etymology
'de-alkylate' originates from Latin and modern chemical formation: the prefix 'de-' (from Latin 'de') meaning 'down from, away, removal' combined with 'alkylate', itself built from 'alkyl' + the chemical verb-forming suffix '-ate'.
'alkyl' was coined in the 19th century from 'alcohol' (ultimately via Arabic 'al-kuḥl' for the term 'alcohol'), then formed into the verb 'alkylate' by adding the suffix '-ate'; later, the prefix 'de-' was attached to produce 'de-alkylate' in chemical and biochemical usage.
Initially, the components meant 'remove' (de-) and 'add or relate to an alkyl group' (-alkylate), so 'de-alkylate' originally meant 'to remove an alkyl group' and it has retained that core meaning in modern chemistry and biochemistry.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to remove an alkyl group from a molecule (a chemical reaction that cleaves an alkyl substituent).
The chemist de-alkylated the substrate to produce the desired product.
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Verb 2
to enzymatically or metabolically remove an alkyl group from a compound (often used in biochemical or pharmacological contexts).
The liver enzyme de-alkylates the drug, reducing its activity.
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Last updated: 2026/01/09 14:35