Ethyl group

The structure of a typical ethyl group.

In chemistry, an ethyl group is an alkyl functional group derived from ethane (C₂H₆). It has the formula -C₂H₅ and is very often abbreviated -Et.

"Ethyl" was also the common designation in North America for high-performance commercial gasoline containing lead in the mid 20th century. The term comes from the name of the company, Ethyl Corporation, which manufactured the antiknock organometallic agent tetraethyl lead added to the gasoline.

Ethylation is the formation of a compound by introduction of the ethyl functional group, C₂H₅.