Metilici

Metilici is a term used in some Romance-language contexts to refer to methyl-related features in chemistry, notably methyl groups or methyl substituents. In English-language chemistry, the equivalent concept is described as methyl or a methyl group. The adjective metilico (and the plural metilici) describes things that contain or relate to methyl groups.

The methyl group, symbol Me or CH3, is the simplest alkyl substituent. It consists of a carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms and is typically attached to a carbon skeleton. Methyl groups are sp3-hybridized and can be terminal substituents on aliphatic chains or substituents on aromatic rings and other frameworks. Their small size and hydrophobic character influence the properties and reactivity of the molecules they inhabit.

In practice, metilici groups play a central role in organic synthesis and biochemistry. They can modulate physical properties such as solubility and volatility, and they influence chemical reactivity and metabolic fate. Reactions involving methyl groups include methylation, which installs a methyl group into a molecule, and various oxidation and substitution processes that transform a methyl group into other functional groups under appropriate conditions. In biochemistry and genetics, methylation reactions, particularly DNA methylation and protein methylation, are important regulatory mechanisms that affect gene expression and protein function.

Metilici-related terminology appears in academic writing across languages that use the term for methyl groups. In English, clear equivalents are methyl group, methyl substituent, or methylation, depending on the context.