Aralkyl
Aralkyl is a term used in organic chemistry to describe a substituent that combines an aryl group with an alkyl chain through a saturated carbon. The aryl portion is usually a phenyl ring, though substituted arenes are common as well. The most familiar aralkyl groups are the benzyl group (phenylmethyl, Ar-CH2-) and the phenethyl group (phenylethyl, Ar-CH2-CH2-). In general, Ar denotes an aryl ring and R denotes the accompanying alkyl portion of the substituent.
Structure and reactivity. An aralkyl substituent is typically attached to a molecule through the benzylic carbon,
Applications. Aralkyl groups are widespread in medicinal chemistry, where they influence properties such as lipophilicity, metabolic
Synthesis. In practice, aralkyl groups are typically introduced by alkylation using benzyl or phenethyl halides (such