Methylidyne radical

Methylidyne radical

Names
Preferred IUPAC name Methylidyne[1]
Systematic IUPAC name Hydridocarbon hydridocarbon(•),[2] Hydridocarbon(3•)[3]
Identifiers
CAS Number	3315-37-5
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
Beilstein Reference	7801830
ChEBI	CHEBI:51382 Y CHEBI:51383
Gmelin Reference	24689
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID701027113
InChI InChI=1S/CH/h1H Key: VRLIPUYDFBXWCH-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES [CH]
Properties
Chemical formula	CH, CH•, CH3•
Molar mass	13.0186 g mol−1
Appearance	Colourless gas
Solubility in water	Reacts
Thermochemistry
Std molar entropy (S⦵298)	183.04 J K−1 mol−1
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298)	594.13 kJ mol−1
Related compounds
Related compounds	Methyl (CH3) Methylene (CH2) Carbide (C)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Methylidyne, or (unsubstituted) carbyne, is an organic compound whose molecule consists of a single hydrogen atom bonded to a carbon atom. It is the parent compound of the carbynes, which can be seen as obtained from it by substitution of other functional groups for the hydrogen.

The carbon atom is left with either one or three unpaired electrons (unsatisfied valence bonds), depending on the molecule's excitation state; making it a radical. Accordingly, the chemical formula can be CH^• or CH^3• (also written as ⫶CH); each dot representing an unpaired electron. The corresponding systematic names are methylylidene or hydridocarbon(•), and methanetriyl or hydridocarbon(3•). However, the formula is often written simply as CH.

Methylidyne is a highly reactive gas, that is quickly destroyed in ordinary conditions but is abundant in the interstellar medium (and was one of the first molecules to be detected there).^[4]