Hydroxymethyl
Hydroxymethyl in the field of chemistry, particularly in organic chemistry, is the name for a substituent with the structural formula −CH2−OH. The hydroxymethyl group consists of a methylene bridge bonded to a hydroxy group. This makes the hydroxymethyl group an alcohol. The hydroxymethyl group has the identical chemical formula with the methoxy group that differs only in the attachment site and orientation to the rest of the molecule. However, their chemical properties are different.
Hydroxymethyl is the side chain of encoded amino acid serine.
