Benzyl

As a benzyl group (deprecated: α -tolyl group ) is called in organic chemistry, the phenylmethyl group -CH2- C6H5. Examples of compounds with a benzyl group are benzyl alcohol, benzylamine, benzyl chloride and benzyl used as the plasticizer ( BBP).

The benzyl group is used in peptide chemistry, carbohydrate chemistry and in many total syntheses of natural products as a protecting group for heteroatoms, because they are easy hydrogenolysis, ie, under mild conditions, can be split off again. The only by- product produced while the volatile toluene.

The abbreviation of benzyl is ( rare: Bzl) in accordance with standard practice Bn; better: CH2Ph ​​. Wrong is the abbreviation " Bz ", which stands for the benzoyl group. Sometimes with " Bn " but also the benzylidene group, CHPh, abbreviated. This confusion and the fact that there is no IUPAC guidelines for this purpose, making a list of abbreviations or similar indication of the meaning of abbreviations used absolutely necessary.

The benzylation, ie introduction of a benzyl group into a compound that is usually done by a substitution reaction with benzyl halides.