An alkyl is a univalent radical consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms, arranged in a chain. The alkyls form a homologous series with the general formula CnH2n+1. They include methyl, CH3· (named after methane), ethyl (C2H5·), propyl (C3H7·), butyl (C4H9·), pentyl (C5H11·), and so on. They are usually constituents of larger molecules, but when occurring independently, they're known as "free radicals" and are very reactive. The structure of an alkyl is like tha… (More on Alkyl)