Dihydroxylation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The chemical process of adding two hydroxyl groups to a double bond in an organic molecule, typically to form a diol
2. A reaction in which a compound gains a pair of hydroxyl groups, often converting an alkene into a glycol
3. The introduction of two OH groups across an unsaturated carbon bond, commonly achieved with oxidizing agents such as osmium tetroxide

Etymology: Dihydroxylation is a chemist's compound coinage, built by stacking prefixes onto a word that is itself a hybrid of Greek and French pieces. The "hydro-" comes from Greek "hudōr," meaning water, while "-gène" (from Greek "genos," meaning birth or origin) was adopted into French as "hydrogène," the name for the element whose oxides form water. "Oxygène" follows the same pattern, from Greek "oxys," sharp or acid. "Hydroxyl" joins these with "-yl," from Greek "hūlē," meaning wood or matter, a suffix chemists used for radical groups. "Hydroxylation" then adds the Latin-derived "-ation" suffix, marking the process of adding a hydroxyl group. The "di-" at the front is Greek in origin, meaning two, and it was added to the established term to mark a process that introduces two hydroxyl groups into a molecule. The compound thus describes a chemical reaction in which two hydroxyl groups are added at once, rather than one. Its meaning is strictly technical, and the word is used in organic chemistry to describe reactions such as the conversion of an alkene into a diol.