In chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

, the alkoxy group is an alkyl (carbon and hydrogen chain) group singular bonded to oxygen

Oxygen

Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...

 thus: R—O. The range of alkoxy groups is great, the simplest being methoxy

Methoxy

In chemistry , methoxy refers to the functional group consisting of a methyl group bound to oxygen. This alkoxy group has the formula O–CH3.The word is used in organic nomenclature usually to describe an ether...

 (CH₃O—). An ethoxy group (CH₃CH₂O—) is found in the organic compound phenetol, C₆H₅OCH₂CH₃ which is also known as ethoxy benzene. Related to alkoxy groups are aryloxy groups, which have an aryl

Aryl

In the context of organic molecules, aryl refers to any functional group or substituent derived from an aromatic ring, be it phenyl, naphthyl, thienyl, indolyl, etc....

 group singular bonded to oxygen such as the phenoxy group (C₆H₅O—).

An alkoxy or aryloxy group bonded to an alkyl or aryl (R¹—O—R²) is an ether

Ether

Ethers are a class of organic compounds that contain an ether group — an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups — of general formula R–O–R'. A typical example is the solvent and anesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether"...

. If bonded to H it is an alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

. An alkoxide

Alkoxide

An alkoxide is the conjugate base of an alcohol and therefore consists of an organic group bonded to a negatively charged oxygen atom. They can be written as RO−, where R is the organic substituent. Alkoxides are strong bases and, when R is not bulky, good nucleophiles and good ligands...

 (RO^–) is the ionic or salt form; it is a derivative of an alcohol where the proton has been replaced by a metal

Metal

A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...

, typically sodium.