Castor oil

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This article is about the oil. For the fictional character from the Thimble Theatre comic strip,
see Castor Oyl.

Castor beans

A bottle of castor oil

Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans.[1] It is a colourless to very pale yellow

liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is 313 °C (595 °F) and its density is
0.961 g/cm3.[2] It includes a mixture of triglycerides in which about 90% of fatty acids are
ricinoleates. Oleate and linoleates are the other significant components.
Castor oil and its derivatives are used in the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, hydraulic
and brake fluids, paints, dyes, coatings, inks, cold-resistant plastics, waxes and
polishes, nylon, pharmaceuticals, and perfumes.[3]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2Composition
 3Uses
o 3.1Food and preservative
 o 3.2Traditional medicine
 3.2.1Alternative medicinal use
o 3.3Skin and hair care
o 3.4Coatings
o 3.5Precursor to industrial chemicals
 3.5.1Lubrication
 3.5.2Early aviation and aeromodelling
 3.5.3Turkey red oil
 3.5.4Biodiesel
o 3.6Punishment
 4Safety
 5In popular culture
 6See also
 7References
 8Further reading
 9External links

Etymology[edit]
The name probably comes from a confusion between the Ricinus plant that produces it and
another plant, the Vitex agnus-castus.[4][5] An alternative etymology, though, suggests that it was
used as a replacement for castoreum.[6]

Composition[edit]

Structure of the major component of castor oil: triester of glycerol and ricinoleic acid

Castor oil is well known as a source of ricinoleic acid, a monounsaturated, 18-carbon fatty acid.
Among fatty acids, ricinoleic acid is unusual in that it has a hydroxyl functional group on the
12th carbon atom. This functional group causes ricinoleic acid (and castor oil) to be
more polar than most fats. The chemical reactivity of the alcohol group also allows
chemical derivatization that is not possible with most other seed oils. Because of its ricinoleic
acid content, castor oil is a valuable chemical in feedstocks, commanding a higher price than
other seed oils. As an example, in July 2007, Indian castor oil sold for about US$0.90/kg
($0.41/lb),[citation needed] whereas U.S. soybean, sunflower, and canola oils sold for about $0.30/kg
($0.14/lb).[7]

Average composition of castor seed oil / fatty acids

Acid name Range

Ricinoleic acid 85–95

Oleic acid 2–6

Linoleic acid 1–5

α-Linolenic acid 0.5–1

Stearic acid 0.5–1

Palmitic acid 0.5–1

Dihydroxystearic acid 0.3–0.5

Others 0.2–0.5

Uses[edit]
Annually, 270,000–360,000 tonnes (600–800 million pounds) of castor oil are produced for a
variety of uses.[3]
Food and preservative[edit]
In the food industry, food-grade castor oil is used in food additives, flavorings, candy
(e.g., polyglycerol polyricinoleate in chocolate),[8] as a mold inhibitor, and in packaging.
Polyoxyethylated castor oil (e.g., Kolliphor EL)[9] is also used in the food industries.[10]
In India, Pakistan, and Nepal, food grains are preserved by the application of castor oil. It
stops rice, wheat, and pulses from rotting. For example, the legume pigeon pea is commonly
available coated in oil for extended storage.
Traditional medicine[edit]

Advertisement of castor oil as a medicine by Scott & Bowne Company, 19th century

Use of castor oil as a laxative is attested to in the circa 1550 BCE Ebers Papyrus,[11] and was in

use several centuries earlier.[12]
Although used in traditional medicine to induce labor in pregnant women, there is no clinical
evidence that castor oil is effective for dilating the cervix or inducing labor.[13]
Alternative medicinal use[edit]
According to the American Cancer Society, "available scientific evidence does not support
claims that castor oil on the skin cures cancer or any other disease."[14]
Skin and hair care[edit]
Castor oil has been used in cosmetic products included in creams and as a moisturizer. Small
amounts of castor oil are frequently used in cold-process soap to increase lathering in the
finished bar. It also has been used to enhance hair conditioning in other products and for
supposed anti-dandruff properties.[15]
Coatings[edit]
Castor oil is used as a biobased polyol in the polyurethane industry. The average functionality
(number of hydroxyl groups per triglyceride molecule) of castor oil is 2.7, so it is widely used as
a rigid polyol and in coatings.[1] One particular use is in a polyurethane concrete where a castor-
oil emulsion is reacted with an isocyanate (usually polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate)
and a cement and construction aggregate. This is applied fairly thickly as a slurry, which is self-
levelling. This base is usually further coated with other systems to build a resilient floor.[16]
Castor oil is not a drying oil, meaning that it has a low reactivity with air compared with oils
such as linseed oil and tung oil. Dehydration of castor oil yields linoleic acids, which do have
drying properties.[1] In this process, the OH group on the ricinoleic acid along with a hydrogen
from the next carbon atom are removed yielding a double bond which then has oxidative cross-
linking properties yielding the drying oil.
Precursor to industrial chemicals[edit]
Castor oil can be broken down into other chemical compounds that have numerous applications.
[17][18][19]
 Transesterification followed by steam cracking gives undecylenic acid, a precursor to
specialized polymer nylon 11, and heptanal, a component in fragrances.[20] Breakdown of castor
oil in strong base gives 2-octanol, both a fragrance component and a specialized solvent, and
the dicarboxylic acid sebacic acid. Hydrogenation of castor oil saturates the alkenes, giving a
waxy lubricant.[1] Castor oil may be epoxidized by reacting the OH groups
with epichlorohydrin to make the triglycidyl ether of castor oil which is useful in epoxy
technology.[21] This is available commercially as Heloxy.[22]
The production of lithium grease consumes a significant amount of castor
oil. Hydrogenation and saponification of castor oil yields 12-hydroxystearic acid, which is then
reacted with lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate to give high-performance lubricant grease.[23]
Since it has a relatively high dielectric constant (4.7), highly refined and dried castor oil is
sometimes used as a dielectric fluid within high-performance, high-voltage capacitors.
Lubrication[edit]
Vegetable oils such as castor oil are typically unattractive alternatives to petroleum-
derived lubricants because of their poor oxidative stability.[24][25] Castor oil has better low-
temperature viscosity properties and high-temperature lubrication than most vegetable oils,
making it useful as a lubricant in jet, diesel, and racing engines.[26] The viscosity of castor oil at
10 °C is 2,420 centipoise,[27] but it tends to form gums in a short time, so its usefulness is limited
to engines that are regularly rebuilt, such as racing engines. Lubricant company Castrol took its
name from castor oil.
Castor oil has been suggested as a lubricant for bicycle pumps because it does not degrade
natural rubber seals.[28]
Early aviation and aeromodelling[edit]

World War I aviation rotary engines used castor oil as a primary lubricant, mixed with the fuel

Castor oil was the preferred lubricant for rotary engines, such as the Gnome engine after that
engine's widespread adoption for aviation in Europe in 1909. It was used almost universally in
rotary-engined Allied aircraft in World War I. Germany had to make do with inferior ersatz oil
for its rotary engines, which resulted in poor reliability.[29][30][31]
The methanol-fueled, two-cycle, glow-plug engines used for aeromodelling, since their adoption
by model airplane hobbyists in the 1940s, have used varying percentages of castor oil as
lubricants. It is highly resistant to degradation when the engine has its fuel-air mixture leaned for
maximum engine speed. Gummy residues can still be a problem for aeromodelling powerplants
lubricated with castor oil, however, usually requiring eventual replacement of ball bearings when
the residue accumulates within the engine's bearing races. One British manufacturer of sleeve-
valved four-cycle model engines has stated the "varnish" created by using castor oil in small
percentages can improve the pneumatic seal of the sleeve valve, improving such an engine's
performance over time.
Turkey red oil[edit]
Turkey red oil, also called sulphonated (or sulfated) castor oil, is made by adding sulfuric acid to
vegetable oils, most notably castor oil.[32] It was the first synthetic detergent after ordinary soap. It
is used in formulating lubricants, softeners, and dyeing assistants.[32]
Biodiesel[edit]
Castor oil, like currently less expensive vegetable oils, can be used as feedstock in the production
of biodiesel. The resulting fuel is superior for cold winters, because of its exceptionally
low cloud point and pour point.[33]
Initiatives to grow more castor for energy production, in preference to other oil crops, are
motivated by social considerations. Tropical subsistence farmers would gain a cash crop.[34]
Punishment[edit]
Some parents punished children with a dose of castor oil.[35][36] Physicians recommended against
the practice because they did not want medicines associated with punishment.[37]
A heavy dose of castor oil could be used as a humiliating punishment for adults. Colonial
officials used it in the British Raj (India) to deal with recalcitrant servants.[38] Belgian military
officials prescribed heavy doses of castor oil in Belgian Congo as a punishment for being too
sick to work.[39]
The most famous use as punishment came in Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini. It was a
favorite tool used by the Blackshirts to intimidate and humiliate their opponents.[40][41][42] Political
dissidents were force-fed large quantities of castor oil by Fascist squads. This technique was said
to have been originated by Gabriele D'Annunzio or Italo Balbo.[43] Victims of this treatment did
sometimes die, as the dehydrating effects of the oil-induced diarrhea often complicated their
recovery from the nightstick beatings they also received along with the castor oil; however, even
those victims who survived had to bear the humiliation of the laxative effects resulting from
excessive consumption of the oil.[44] The Nazi Sturmabteilung is thought to have used this torture
method against German Jews shortly after the appointment of Adolf Hitler as chancellor of
Germany in 1933.[45]
Mussolini's power was supposedly backed by "the bludgeon and castor oil".[44] In lesser
quantities, castor oil was also used as an instrument of intimidation, for example, to discourage
civilians or soldiers who would call in sick either in the factory or in the military. Only decades
after Mussolini's death did the myth of castor oil as a panacea for a wide range of diseases and
medical conditions become totally demystified, as it was also widely administered to pregnant
women and elderly or mentally ill patients in hospitals in the false belief it had no negative side
effects.
Still, the Italian terms manganello and olio di ricino, even used separately, still carry strong
political connotations (especially the latter)[citation needed]. These words are still used to satirize
patronizing politicians, or the authors of disliked legislation. The terms Usare l'olio di ricino,
("to use castor oil") and usare il manganello ("to use the bludgeon") mean "to coerce or abuse",
and can be misunderstood in the absence of proper context.[citation needed]
In Greece, during the 4th of August Regime, castor oil was used as a form of punishment.[46]

Safety[edit]
The castor seed contains ricin, a toxic lectin. Heating during the oil extraction process denatures
and deactivates the lectin. Harvesting castor beans, though, may not be without risk.[47] The
International Castor Oil Association FAQ document states that castor beans contain an allergenic
compound called CB1A. This chemical is described as being virtually nontoxic, but has the
capacity to affect people with hypersensitivity. The allergen may be neutralized by treatment
with a variety of alkaline agents. The allergen is not present in the castor oil itself.[48][49]

In popular culture[edit]
 In the 1943 Tom and Jerry cartoon short "Baby
Puss", Tom Cat, dressed as a baby, is given castor oil by a
child as a punishment.

See also[edit]
 Castor wax
 List of unproven and disproven cancer treatments

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:        Thomas, Alfred (2005). "Fats and Fatty
a b c d

Oils". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim:

Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a10_173. ISBN 978-
3527306732.
2. ^ Aldrich Handbook of Fine Chemicals and Laboratory Equipment.
Sigma-Aldrich. 2003.[full citation needed]
3. ^ Jump up to:a b Mutlu, H; Meier, MAR (January 2010). "Castor oil as a
renewable resource for the chemical industry". European Journal
of Lipid Science and Technology. 112 (1): 10–
30. doi:10.1002/ejlt.200900138.
4. ^ "The Castor Bean: A Plant Named After A Tick". Wayne's Word:
An Online Textbook of Natural History. March 1999.
Retrieved 2020-04-26.
5. ^ Irene Jacob, "Ricinus Communis — The Miracle Tree through
Four Thousand Years", The Healing Past: Pharmaceuticals in the
Biblical and Rabbinic World, ed. Irene and Walter Jacob (Brill,
1993), 81-93.
6. ^ Casselman, William Gordon. "Castor". Bill Casselman's
Canadian Word of the Day. Archived from the original on 2011-02-
03. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
7. ^ "Seed Oil Prices"  (PDF). United States Department of
Agriculture. July 2007. p. 31. Archived from the original  (PDF) on
April 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
8. ^ Wilson, R; Van Schie, BJ; Howes, D (1998). "Overview of the
preparation, use and biological studies on polyglycerol
polyricinoleate (PGPR)". Food and Chemical Toxicology. 36 (9–
10): 711–8. doi:10.1016/S0278-6915(98)00057-X. PMID 9737417.
9. ^ Safety datawsheet cremophor El Castor
Oil http://www.sfm.state.or.us/cr2k_subdb/msds/cremophor_el_cast
or_oil.pdf Archived 2017-12-06 at the Wayback Machine
10. ^ Busso, C; Castro-Prado, MA (March 2004). "Cremophor EL
stimulates mitotic recombination in uvsH//uvsH diploid strain of
Aspergillus nidulans". Anais da Academia Brasileira de
Ciências. 76 (1): 49–55. doi:10.1590/S0001-
37652004000100005. PMID 15048194.
11. ^ Bryan, Cyril P. (1930). The Papyrus Ebers, Translated from the
German Version By Cyril P. Bryan  (PDF). London: Geoffrey Bles.
p. 44. Archived from the original  (PDF) on 2013-09-21.
12. ^ Bryan, p. xvii
13. ^ Kelly, AJ; Kavanagh, J; Thomas, J (2013). "Castor oil, bath
and/or enema for cervical priming and induction of
labour". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (7):
CD003099. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003099.pub2. PMC 713826
6. PMID 23881775.
14. ^ "Castor Oil". American Cancer Society. March 2011. Archived
from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
15. ^ US 5707612, Zofchak, Albert; Obeji, John & Mosquera, Michael,
"Use urethane polymers of castor oil skin and personal care product
compositions", published Jan 13, 1998
16. ^ Howarth, GA (June 2003). "Polyurethanes, polyurethane
dispersions and polyureas: Past, present and future". Surface
Coatings International Part B: Coatings Transactions. 86 (2): 111–
118. doi:10.1007/bf02699621. ISSN 1476-4865. S2CID 93574741.
17. ^ "Multiple uses of castor oil". Retrieved 2007-08-02.
18. ^ Mutlu, Hatice; Meier, Michael A. R. (2010-01-25). "Castor oil as
a renewable resource for the chemical industry". European Journal
of Lipid Science and Technology. 112: 10–
30. doi:10.1002/ejlt.200900138.
19. ^ Ogunniyi, D.S. (June 2006). "Castor oil: A vital industrial raw
material". Bioresource Technology. 97 (9): 1086–
91. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2005.03.028. PMID 15919203.
20. ^ Ashford's Dictionary of Industrial Chemicals, Third edition, 2011,
page 6162
21. ^ Hermansen, Ralph D. (2017-03-16). Polymeric Thermosetting
Compounds: Innovative Aspects of Their Formulation Technology.
CRC Press. ISBN 9781771883153.
22. ^ Ash, Michael; Ash, Irene (2007). Handbook of fillers, extenders,
and diluents (2nd ed.). Endicott, NY: Synapse Information
Resources. p. 82. ISBN 9781890595968.
23. ^ Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Archived
from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
24. ^ "Chemical modification to improve vegetable oil lubricants".
Retrieved 2007-08-02.
25. ^ "Petroleum Oil and the Environment". DOE. Retrieved 2006-12-
28.
26. ^ McGuire, Nancy (2004). "Taming the Bean". The American
Chemical Society. Archived from the original on September 27,
2006. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
27. ^ Brady, George S.; Clauser, Henry R.; Vaccari, John
(1997). Materials Handbook (14th ed.). New York: McGraw-
Hill. ISBN 978-0070070844.
28. ^ Older, Jules (2000). Backroad and Offroad Biking.
Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 37. ISBN 978-
0811731508.
29. ^ Guilmartin, John F. Jr. (1994). "Technology and Strategy: What
Are the Limits?". Two Historians in Technology and War. United
States Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute.
p. 10. ISBN 978-1428915220.
30. ^ Fisher, Suzanne Hayes (1999). "Aircraft, production during the
war". In Tucker, Spencer C.; Wood, Laura Matysek; Murphy, Justin
D. (eds.). The European Powers in the First World War: An
Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 10. ISBN 978-0815333517.
31. ^ U.S. Tariff Commission (1921). Tariff Information Surveys on the
Articles in Paragraphs 44 and 45 of the Tariff Act of 1913.
Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 40.
32. ^ Jump up to:a b Penda, H (2017). Herbal Soaps & Detergents
Handbook. Delhi, India: NIIR. p. 121. ISBN 9789381039007.
33. ^ Biodiesel from Castor Oil: A Promising Fuel for Cold
Weather (PDF) Archived June 16, 2013, at the Wayback
Machine by Carmen Leonor Barajas Forero, 2004-10-12. Retrieved
2012-01-24.
34. ^ The Promise of the Castor Bean Archived March 9, 2016, at
the Wayback Machine by Elizabeth Johnson, Biodiesel Magazine,
2004-12-01. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
35. ^ For an American example see David J. Rothman
(1980). Conscience and Convenience: The Asylum and Its
Alternatives in Progressive America. Transaction Publishers.
p. 279. ISBN 9780202365091. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
36. ^ For a Canadian examples see Neil Sutherland (1997). Growing
Up: Childhood in English Canada from the Great War to the Age of
Television. University of Toronto Press.
p. 87. ISBN 9780802079831. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
37. ^ Journal of the American Medical Association. American Medical
Association. 1919. p. 1699. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
38. ^ Cecilia Leong-Salobir (2011). Food Culture in Colonial Asia: A
Taste of Empire. Taylor & Francis. p. 66. ISBN 9781136726545.
39. ^ Adam., Hochschild (1999). King Leopold's ghost: a story of
greed, terror, and heroism in Colonial Africa (1st Mariner
books ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 166. ISBN 978-
0547525730. OCLC 759834634.
40. ^ "Italy The rise of Mussolini". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Archived from the original on
October 14, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
41. ^ "Benito's Birthday". Time, in partnership with CNN. August 6,
1923. Archived from the original on April 7, 2008. Retrieved 2007-
08-03.
 42. ^ Bosworth, R. J. B. (2002). Mussolini. New York: Arnold/Oxford
Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-340-73144-4.
43. ^ "Bearded like a medieval condottiere, bluff yet suave, fearless and
supple, [Italo Balbo] was not the type to pass unnoticed anywhere.
His admirers here chose to forget the Blackshirt club-wielder and
reputed inventor of the castor-oil treatment for Fascist foes"
Marshal Balbo, The New York Times, July 1, 1940, p. 18.
44. ^ Jump up to:a b Cecil Adams (1994-04-22). "Did Mussolini use castor
oil as an instrument of torture?". The Straight Dope.
Retrieved 2014-08-09.
45. ^ Evans, Richard J (2004). The Coming of the Third Reich: How
the Nazis Destroyed Democracy and Seized Power in Germany.
USA: Penguin Books. p. 431. ISBN 978-1-101-04267-0.
46. ^ Σπύρος Λιναρδάτος, 4η Αυγούστου, Ε' έκδοση, Εκδ. Θεμέλιο,
1988, σελ. 63
47. ^ Auld, DL; Pinkerton, SD; Rolfe, R; Ghetie, V; et al. (March–April
1999). "Selection of castor for divergent concentrations of ricin and
ricinus communis agglutinin". Crop Science. 39 (2): 353–
7. doi:10.2135/cropsci1999.0011183X003900020008x. Archived
from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
48. ^ Dierig, David A. (1995). "Lesquerella". New Crop FactSHEET.
Center for New Crops & Plant Products, at Purdue University.
Retrieved 2007-08-01.
49. ^ Sources of Hydroxy Fatty Acids https://naldc-
legacy.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?
id=IND93048066&content=PDF

Further reading[edit]
 Naughton, Frank, "Castor Oil", Kirk-Othmer
Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, New York: John
Wiley, doi:10.1002/0471238961.0301192014012107.a01.
pub2, ISBN 9780471238966 – overview of chemical
properties and manufacturing of castor oil

External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Castor oil.

 International Chemical Safety Card 1452

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Drugs for constipation (laxatives and cathartics) (A06)

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Hydroxy group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Hydroxyl group)

Jump to navigationJump to search

This article is about the hydroxy functional group. For the Hydroxyl radical,
see Hydroxyl radical.

Representation of an organic compound hydroxy group, where R represents a hydrocarbon or other organic

moiety, the red and grey spheres represent oxygen and hydrogen atoms respectively, and the rod-like
connections between these, covalent chemical bonds.

A hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula -OH and
composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic
chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy groups. Both the
negatively charged anion HO−, called hydroxide, and the neutral radical HO•, known as
the hydroxyl radical, consist of an unbonded hydroxyl group.
According to IUPAC definitions, the term hydroxyl refers to the hydroxyl radical (·OH)
only, while the functional group −OH is called hydroxy group. [1]

Contents

 1Properties
 2Occurrence
 3Hydroxyl radical
 4Planetary observations
o 4.1Airglow of the Earth
o 4.2Surface of the Moon
o 4.3Atmosphere of Venus
o 4.4Atmosphere of Mars
 5See also
 6References
 7Further
 8External links

Properties[edit]
Sulfuric acid contains two hydroxyl groups.

Water, alcohols, carboxylic acids, and many other hydroxy-containing compounds can
be readily deprotonated due to a large difference between the electronegativity of
oxygen (3.5) and that of hydrogen (2.1). Hydroxy-containing compounds engage in
intermolecular hydrogen bonding increasing the electrostatic attraction between
molecules and thus to higher boiling and melting points than found for compounds that
lack this functional group. Organic compounds, which are often poorly soluble in water,
become water-soluble when they contain two or more hydroxy groups, as illustrated
by sugars and amino acid.[citation needed]

Occurrence[edit]
The hydroxy group is pervasive in chemistry and biochemistry. Many inorganic
compounds contain hydroxy groups, including sulfuric acid, the chemical compound
produced on the largest scale industrially. [citation needed]
Hydroxy groups participate in the dehydration reactions that link simple biological
molecules into long chains. The joining of a fatty acid to glycerol to form
a triacylglycerol removes the −OH from the carboxy end of the fatty acid. The joining of
two aldehyde sugars to form a disaccharide removes the −OH from the carboxy group
at the aldehyde end of one sugar. The creation of a peptide bond to link two amino
acids to make a protein removes the −OH from the carboxy group of one amino acid. [citation
needed]

Hydroxyl radical[edit]
Main article: Hydroxyl radical
Hydroxyl radicals are highly reactive and undergo chemical reactions that make them
short-lived. When biological systems are exposed to hydroxyl radicals, they can cause
damage to cells, including those in humans, where they can react with DNA, lipids,
and proteins.[citation needed]

Planetary observations[edit]
Airglow of the Earth[edit]
The Earth's night sky is illuminated by diffuse light, called airglow, that is produced by
radiative transitions of atoms and molecules.[2] Among the most intense such features
observed in the Earth's night sky is a group of infrared transitions at wavelengths
between 700 nanometers and 900 nanometers. In 1950, Aden Meinel showed that
these were transitions of the hydroxyl molecule, OH. [3]
Surface of the Moon[edit]
In 2009, India's Chandrayaan-1 satellite and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) Cassini spacecraft and Deep Impact probe each detected
evidence of water by evidence of hydroxyl fragments on the Moon. As reported by
Richard Kerr, "A spectrometer [the Moon Mineralogy Mapper, a.k.a. "M3"] detected an
infrared absorption at a wavelength of 3.0 micrometers that only water or hydroxyl—a
hydrogen and an oxygen bound together—could have created." [4] NASA also reported in
2009 that the LCROSS probe revealed an ultraviolet emission spectrum consistent with
hydroxyl presence.[5]
On October 26, 2020, NASA reported definitive evidence of water on the sunlit surface
of the Moon, in the vicinity of the crater Clavius (crater), obtained by the Stratospheric
Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).[6] The SOFIA Faint Object infrared Camera
for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) detected emission bands at a wavelength of
6.1 micrometers that are present in water but not in hydroxyl. The abundance of water
on the Moon's surface was inferred to be equivalent to the contents of a 12-ounce bottle
of water per cubic meter of lunar soil.[7]
Atmosphere of Venus[edit]
The Venus Express orbiter collected Venus science data from April 2006 until
December 2014. In 2008, Piccioni, et al. reported measurements of night-side airglow
emission in the atmosphere of Venus made with the Visible and Infrared Thermal
Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) on Venus Express. They attributed emission bands in
wavelength ranges of 1.40 - 1.49 micrometers and 2.6 - 3.14  micrometers to vibrational
transitions of OH.[8] This was the first evidence for OH in the atmosphere of any planet
other than Earth's.[citation needed]
Atmosphere of Mars[edit]
In 2013, OH near-infrared spectra were observed in the night glow in the polar winter
atmosphere of Mars by use of the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for
Mars (CRISM).[9]

See also[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Hydroxyl
group.

 Hydronium
 Ion
 Oxide
 Hydroxylation
References[edit]
1. ^ "Alcohols". IUPAC. Retrieved  23 March 2015.
2. ^ Silverman SM (October 1970).  "Night airglow
phenomenology". Space Science Reviews. 11 (2): 341–
79.  Bibcode:1970SSRv...11..341S. doi:10.1007/BF00241526. 
S2CID  120677542.
3. ^ Meinel AB (1950). "OH Emission Bands in the Spectrum of
the Night Sky. I". Astrophysical Journal. 111: 555–
564.  Bibcode:1950ApJ...111..555M. doi:10.1086/145296.
4. ^ Kerr RA (24 September 2009). "A Whiff of Water Found on
the Moon". Science Now. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
5. ^ Dino J (13 November 2009). "LCROSS Impact Data
Indicates Water on Moon". NASA. Retrieved  2009-11-14.
6. ^ Honniball CI, Lucey PG, Li S, Shenoy S, Orlando TM,
Hibbitts CA, Hurley DM, Farrell WM (2020). "Molecular water
detected on the sunlit Moon by SOFIA". Nature
Astronomy. 5  (2): 121–
127.  Bibcode:2020NatAs.tmp..222H.  doi:10.1038/s41550-
020-01222-x.
7. ^ Chou F, Hawkes A (26 October 2020).  "NASA's SOFIA
Discovers Water on Sunlit Surface of Moon".  NASA.
Retrieved 2020-10-26.
8. ^ Piccioni G, Drossart P, Zasova L, Migliorini A, Gérard JC,
Mills FP, et  al. (the VIRTIS-Venus Express Technical Team)
(2008).  "First detection of hydroxyl in the atmosphere of
Venus". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 483 (3): L29–
L23.  Bibcode:2008A&A...483L..29P.  doi:10.1051/0004-
6361:200809761.
9. ^ Clancy RT, Sandor BJ, García-Muñoz A, Lefèvre F, Smith
MD, Wolff MJ, Montmessin F, Murchie SL, Nair H (2013).
"First detection of Mars atmospheric hydroxyl: CRISM Near-
IR measurement versus LMD GCM simulation of OH Meinel
band emission in the Mars polar winter
atmosphere".  Icarus. 226 (1): 272–
281.  Bibcode:2013Icar..226..272T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.
05.035.

Further[edit]
 Reece J, Urry L, Cain M, Wasserman S, Minorsky P,
Jackson R (2011). "Chapter 4&5". In Berge S,
Golden B, Triglia L (eds.). Campbell Biology. Unit 1
(9th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin
Cummings. ISBN 978-0-321-55823-7.

External links[edit]
Look up hydroxy group in
Wiktionary, the free
 dictionary.

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 Functional groups
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