Sulfoxides

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Chemical compounds featuring a sulfur atom bonded to two organic groups and doubly bonded to an oxygen atom; substances known for their distinctive aroma and often used as intermediates in organic synthesis; molecules characterized by a central sulfur-oxygen double bond with two carbon-containing substituents attached
2. Organosulfur compounds containing a divalent sulfur bonded to an oxygen atom and two carbon-based groups; notable for their role in various chemical reactions and applications in pharmaceuticals; entities defined by their sulfinyl functional group with two organic attachments
3. Molecules comprising a sulfur atom double-bonded to oxygen and singly bonded to two organic residues; recognized for their stability and importance in chemical manufacturing processes; characterized by a sulfoxide functional group linking sulfur with oxygen and two alkyl or aryl substituents

Etymology: Sulfoxide is a chemist's coinage built from two parts: "sulfur", the element, and "oxide", a compound containing oxygen. The "-oxide" element is the familiar one, meaning a compound of oxygen with another element, while "sulfoxide" marks a specific arrangement in which sulfur carries a single oxygen atom along with two carbon-based groups. The name thus describes the molecule's makeup rather than tracing back to an older word with a different sense. The word "sulfoxides" is simply the plural form of "sulfoxide", used when referring to more than one such compound. Chemists tend to speak of these molecules as a family, since the same sulfur-oxygen pairing appears across many different substances with varying carbon groups attached.

Synonyms: sulfinyl compounds