Methylene

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In chemistry, methylene is a divalent functional group CH₂ derived formally from methane. The name "methylene" is used for the following:

• -CH₂- group (bound by two single bonds) present e.g. in dichloromethane (alternative name is methylene chloride);
• =CH₂ group (bound by one double bond), present e.g. in formaldehyde (can be named methylene oxide, but it is not used/recommended). The better example is methylenecyclopropene.
•  :CH₂ is a carbene known as methylene, carbenes are highly reactive organic molecules with a divalent carbon atom with only six valence electrons.

Increasing the number of methylene groups in a chain or ring increases the size and the lipid nature (lipophilicity) of the compound.

[edit] See also

• methyl
• methylidyne