Tags: Chemical Compound, Chemical Substance.
In organic chemistry acetyl is a functional group the acyl with chemical formula COCH3. It is sometimes represented by the symbol Ac (not to be confused with the element actinium). The acetyl group contains a methyl group single-bonded to a carbonyl. The carbonyl center of an acyl radical has one nonbonded electron with which it forms a chemical bond to the remainder R of the molecule. In IUPAC nomenclature acetyl is called ethanoyl although this term is rarely heard.
