Acylate

Acylate is a term used in organic chemistry to describe a compound that bears an acyl group, typically the carbonyl-containing fragment R-CO-. In practice, acylates include esters and salts derived from carboxylic acids, as well as products formed when an acyl group is transferred to a substrate in an acylation reaction. The word is also used as a verb: to acylate means to introduce an acyl group into a molecule, often forming esters, amides, or other derivatives.

Common acylating agents include acid chlorides (R-COCl), acid anhydrides (R-CO-O-CO-R'), and activated esters. Reactions with alcohols or phenols yield esters, such as acetates, while reactions with amines yield amides. In many contexts, acetylating refers specifically to introducing an acetyl group (CH3-CO-). Esterification between carboxylic acids and alcohols is a typical route to form acylates such as acetate esters.

Acylates are widely used as protecting groups for alcohols and amines, or to modify reactivity in synthesis. They also play roles in biochemistry, where acetylation modifies proteins and other biomolecules, for example forming N-acetyl or O-acetyl derivatives that can influence function and interactions.

Examples of acylates include simple esters like methyl acetate and ethyl acetate, which arise from the corresponding acetic acid derivatives, as well as more complex acylated products such as N-acetylated amino acids or acetylated hydrogels. The term remains a broad umbrella for substances and products that contain or result from the introduction of an acyl group.