amyl - Biochemistry, Chemistry, Slang

CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂–, IUPAC pentyl. A group derived from pentane by removing one hydrogen atom. Amyl alcohol is a fraction of fusel oil, boiling point c.130°C, a mixture of several isomers of C₅H₁₁OH. Amylose is a low molecular weight fraction of starch. Amyloid is a combination of protein and polysaccharides deposited as a fibrous substance in some animal organs affected by certain diseases (eg kuru).

Amyl is a linguistic root word derived from the Latin amylum, from Greek αμυλον, meaning starch.

Biochemistry

In biochemistry, amyl means "pertaining to starch".

Chemistry

In organic chemistry, amyl is the old trivial name for the radical called pentyl under the IUPAC nomenclature: that is, -C5H11. This usage may derive from the presence of amyl alcohol in fusel oil, itself often fermented from starches.

Several important amyl/pentyl compounds are still widely known by their older, amyl names, including:

amylamine amyl acetate amyl alcohol amyl nitrate amyl nitrite

There are eight possible isomers of amyl;

Slang

Amyl is also a slang term for amyl nitrite when used as a recreational drug.