Acetylamido

Acetylamido refers to a functional group derived from acetylation of an amine, consisting of an amide linkage where the nitrogen bears an acetyl substituent. Chemically, the acetylamido group has the structure -NH-CO-CH3, i.e., an amide nitrogen attached to a methyl carbonyl group. In systematic naming, the acetyl group on nitrogen is described as N-acetyl, and the substituent is sometimes called acetylamido or acetamido.

Acetylamido groups are common in organic and biochemistry. They appear in N-acetyl amino compounds, such as N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylcysteine, where the amino group is acetylated. This modification reduces the basicity of the nitrogen and converts it into an amide, stabilizing the molecule and affecting reactivity. The acetylamido bond is relatively resistant to hydrolysis under physiological conditions, but can be cleaved by strong acids or bases or by specific enzymatic processes.

In chemical synthesis and medicinal chemistry, acetylamido groups are used to mask amine functionality, to modify pharmacokinetic properties, or as protective groups during peptide synthesis. Related terms include acetamido (common in older literature) and the broader class of amide derivatives (acylamino compounds).