Moiety (chemistry)

Benzyl acetate has an ester functional group (in red), an acetyl moiety (circled with dark green) and a benzyloxy moiety (circled with light orange). Other divisions can be made.

In organic chemistry moiety /ˈmɔɪəti/ is a term used for part of a molecule. Larger moieties are often functional groups.

A functional group is a moiety that participates in similar chemical reactions in most molecules that contain it. In turn the parts of the group are termed moieties. For example, methyl para-hydroxybenzoate contains a phenol functional group within the acyl moiety, which in turn is part of the paraben moiety.

See also

Moiety conservation