Dihydroxylate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To introduce two hydroxyl groups into a chemical compound, typically across a double bond in an organic molecule
2. Adding a pair of OH groups to a molecular structure, a reaction commonly used in organic chemistry synthesis
3. Chemically treating a compound so that it gains two hydroxyl functional groups, often converting an alkene into a diol

Etymology: Dihydroxylate is a chemistry coinage rather than an ancient word, built from parts that each carry a precise meaning. "Di-" is the Greek prefix for "two," and "hydroxyl" is the chemical group made of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom (OH). The "-ate" ending is the standard chemistry suffix that turns a verb or noun into the action or product of a process. Put together, to dihydroxylate a molecule means to add two hydroxyl groups to it, typically across a carbon-carbon double bond. The parts date from the 19th century, when chemists needed systematic names for newly identified structures. "Hydroxyl" was formed in the 1800s from "hydro-" (water) and "-oxyl," reflecting the group's origin in water and oxygen, and "dihydroxylation" entered chemical writing as organic chemists developed reactions that added two OH groups to alkenes. The Greek and Latin roots are old, but the combined term is a modern laboratory construction, not something any ancient writer could have used.

Synonyms: hydroxylate