A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group (also called ethenyl), −CH=CH2. These are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom substituted with some other group.
A related phrase is vinylidene which stands for a double-bonded two-carbon residue with two rather than one substituents, for instance in 1,1-dichloroethene ("vinylidene chloride").
The vinyl group forms part of the allyl group and is also contained in all acrylates. Many alkenes contain a vinyl group.
