How to Use hydroxyl in a Sentence

hydroxyl

noun
  • Salicylic acid = a beta hydroxyl acid from the bark of a willow tree.
    — Lori Keong, Marie Claire, 3 Mar. 2017
  • And that's critical because, while water can absorb and emit at this wavelength, hydroxyl groups cannot.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 Oct. 2020
  • These earlier analyses focused on a part of the infrared spectrum where both water and hydroxyl glow.
    — Maya Wei-Haas, National Geographic, 26 Oct. 2020
  • Lightning also sparks hydroxyl radicals, which help cleanse the air by breaking down methane and other gases.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
  • When a meteorite strikes the moon, the intense heat causes hydroxyl molecules to combine into water.
    — Daniel Oberhaus, Wired, 26 Oct. 2020
  • Without hydroxyl, certain substances humans rely on, such as sugars and alcohols, would not exist.
    — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, 8 June 2019
  • These materials include chemical groups (carboxyl, hydroxyl, and amide) that readily bond with water in the air.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Use this small gadget to purify and clean your produce with hydroxyl water ion purification technology.
    — Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 15 Sep. 2022
  • Away from the shadows, a chemical reaction between lunar soil and sunlight produces hydroxyl, a close relative of the water molecule.
    — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2020
  • But the signature of molecular water at the wavelength used in this research could also be associated with hydroxyl, which is oxygen bonded with hydrogen.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 26 Oct. 2020
  • According to the authors, glycerol has a high concentration of hydroxyl groups, which in turn have a strong affinity with water molecules, creating strong hydrogen bonds.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2022
  • Whitening strips blend both the natural process of oil pulling with hydrogen peroxide to safely and effectively release oxygen and hydroxyl free radicals for a brighter, whiter smile in as soon as 14 days.
    — Tory Johnson, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Whitening strips blend both the natural process of oil pulling with hydrogen peroxide to safely and effectively release oxygen and hydroxyl free radicals for a brighter, whiter smile in as soon as 14 days.
    — ABC News, 1 May 2026
  • In organic chemistry, alcohols tend to include hydroxyl, which contributes to making molecules soluble in water.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 26 Oct. 2020
  • Heat from the sun or micrometeorite impacts could cause hydroxyl molecules to collide to form H2O, Honniball says.
    — Maya Wei-Haas, National Geographic, 26 Oct. 2020
  • Mergers like this trigger bouts of intense star formation, as well as creating the physical conditions that allow the hydroxyl molecules to amplify radio emission.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Scientists think that the molecules may be trapped in bead-like structures in the soil, possibly formed as a result of the heat created by micrometeorite impacts transforming hydroxyl into water.
    — Tyler Van Dyke, Washington Examiner, 26 Oct. 2020
  • Typically cleansers with beta hydroxy acids, like salicylic, and alpha hydroxyl acids, like glycolic and lactic, are marketed to teens and those who suffer from acne (so perfect if your discoloration comes from pimples).
    — Alexandra Engler, Marie Claire, 7 Mar. 2017
  • Overall, the researchers suspect that hydroxyl and hydroperoxyl could be contributing to global oxidation, Inverse reports.
    — Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 May 2021
  • From this distance, Swift detected the faint ultraviolet glow of hydroxyl (OH), the product of water molecules broken apart by sunlight, the study reports.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
  • As a result, one of every four water molecules has something akin to a grasping limb—a single hydroxyl (OH) group—pointing up into the air with nothing to bind to, creating an uneven chemical landscape.
    — Emily Underwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2020
  • Studies had indicated that some water-like material was present but couldn't differentiate between water and a hydroxyl group (OH), which could exist in some minerals.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 Oct. 2020
  • The crashes gave off signatures associated with water ice and hydroxyl—a highly reactive molecule associated with water.
    — National Geographic, 24 July 2017
  • Some of this iron bunches together and reacts with naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide to produce hydroxyl radicals—highly reactive molecules that can harm cells.
    — Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2021
  • At a molecular level, the simulations showed that UV light causes water molecules to break apart, forming hydronium ions, hydroxyl radicals, and free electrons.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Nov. 2025
  • Rather, the hydroxyl groups, which are created by a reaction between HIF-1 alpha and oxygen, mark it for destruction by a cell’s protein-degrading machinery.
    — The Economist, 12 Oct. 2019
  • This turns the water into hydrogen radicals, hydroxyl radicals, hydrated electrons, molecular hydrogen, and hydrogen peroxide, among others.
    — New Atlas, 14 Nov. 2025
  • According to the researchers, the catalyst weakens excessive bonding between iron sites and hydroxyl intermediates, allowing the reaction to proceed more smoothly and reducing one of the major bottlenecks in zinc-air battery operation.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
  • The team is the first to detect hydroxyl (OH) gas, a chemical fingerprint of water, emanating from 3I/ATLAS.
    — Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Some researchers have recently developed flame-retardant, hydrophobic, high-strength, breathable cotton fabric by dual covalent crosslinking of amino-containing siloxane segments, phosphorus-containing monomers with several reaction sites, and hydroxyl-rich cellulose segments.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hydroxyl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: