CHEMISTRY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does chemistry mean? 

• CHEMISTRY (noun)
  The noun CHEMISTRY has 3 senses:

1. the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions

2. the chemical composition and properties of a substance or object

3. the way two individuals relate to each other

  Familiarity information: CHEMISTRY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHEMISTRY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

chemical science; chemistry

Hypernyms ("chemistry" is a kind of...):

natural science (the sciences involved in the study of the physical world and its phenomena)

Domain member category:

electronegativity; negativity ((chemistry) the tendency of an atom or radical to attract electrons in the formation of an ionic bond)

atomic mass; atomic weight; relative atomic mass ((chemistry) the mass of an atom of a chemical element expressed in atomic mass units)

molecular weight; relative molecular mass ((chemistry) the sum of the relative atomic masses of the constituent atoms of a molecule)

valence; valency ((chemistry) a property of atoms or radicals; their combining power given in terms of the number of hydrogen atoms (or the equivalent))

pH; pH scale ((from potential of Hydrogen) the logarithm of the reciprocal of hydrogen-ion concentration in gram atoms per liter; provides a measure on a scale from 0 to 14 of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution (where 7 is neutral and greater than 7 is more basic and less than 7 is more acidic))

Dalton's law; Dalton's law of partial pressures; law of partial pressures ((chemistry and physics) law stating that the pressure exerted by a mixture of gases equals the sum of the partial pressures of the gases in the mixture; the pressure of a gas in a mixture equals the pressure it would exert if it occupied the same volume alone at the same temperature)

distribution law ((chemistry) the total energy in an assembly of molecules is not distributed equally but is distributed around an average value according to a statistical distribution)

equilibrium law; law of chemical equilibrium ((chemistry) the principle that (at chemical equilibrium) in a reversible reaction the ratio of the rate of the forward reaction to the rate of the reverse reaction is a constant for that reaction)

Henry's law ((chemistry) law formulated by the English chemist William Henry; the amount of a gas that will be absorbed by water increases as the gas pressure increases)

law of constant proportion; law of definite proportions ((chemistry) law stating that every pure substance always contains the same elements combined in the same proportions by weight)

law of equivalent proportions; law of reciprocal proportions ((chemistry) law stating that the proportions in which two elements separately combine with a third element are also the proportions in which they combine together)

Dalton's law; law of multiple proportions ((chemistry) law stating that when two elements can combine to form more than one compound the amounts of one of them that combines with a fixed amount of the other will exhibit a simple multiple relation)

law of mass action ((chemistry) the law that states the following principle: the rate of a chemical reaction is directly proportional to the molecular concentrations of the reacting substances)

Mendeleev's law; periodic law ((chemistry) the principle that chemical properties of the elements are periodic functions of their atomic numbers)

organic chemistry (the chemistry of compounds containing carbon (originally defined as the chemistry of substances produced by living organisms but now extended to substances synthesized artificially))

atomic theory; atomism; atomist theory; atomistic theory ((chemistry) any theory in which all matter is composed of tiny discrete finite indivisible indestructible particles)

Arrhenius theory of dissociation; theory of dissociation; theory of electrolytic dissociation ((chemistry) theory that describes aqueous solutions in terms of acids (which dissociate to give hydrogen ions) and bases (which dissociate to give hydroxyl ions); the product of an acid and a base is a salt and water)

Ostwald's theory of indicators; theory of indicators ((chemistry) the theory that all indicators are either weak acids or weak bases in which the color of the ionized form is different from the color before dissociation)

migration ((chemistry) the nonrandom movement of an atom or radical from one place to another within a molecule)

allomerism ((chemistry) variability in chemical composition without variation in crystalline form)

sublimation ((chemistry) a change directly from the solid to the gaseous state without becoming liquid)

periodic table ((chemistry) a tabular arrangement of the chemical elements according to atomic number as based on the periodic law)

chain; chemical chain ((chemistry) a series of linked atoms (generally in an organic molecule))

closed chain; ring ((chemistry) a chain of atoms in a molecule that forms a closed loop)

long-chain molecule; long chain ((chemistry) a relatively long chain of atoms in a molecule)

chemist (a scientist who specializes in chemistry)

chemical phenomenon (any natural phenomenon involving chemistry (as changes to atoms or molecules))

pleomorphism; polymorphism ((chemistry) the existence of different kinds of crystal of the same chemical compound)

dimorphism ((chemistry) the property of certain substances that enables them to exist in two distinct crystalline forms)

absorption; soaking up ((chemistry) a process in which one substance permeates another; a fluid permeates or is dissolved by a liquid or solid)

association ((chemistry) any process of combination (especially in solution) that depends on relatively weak chemical bonding)

chemical action; chemical change; chemical process ((chemistry) any process determined by the atomic and molecular composition and structure of the substances involved)

chemical reaction; reaction ((chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others)

chemical decomposition reaction; decomposition; decomposition reaction ((chemistry) separation of a substance into two or more substances that may differ from each other and from the original substance)

displacement; displacement reaction ((chemistry) a reaction in which an elementary substance displaces and sets free a constituent element from a compound)

dissociation ((chemistry) the temporary or reversible process in which a molecule or ion is broken down into smaller molecules or ions)

electrolysis ((chemistry) a chemical decomposition reaction produced by passing an electric current through a solution containing ions)

imbibition ((chemistry) the absorption of a liquid by a solid or gel)

osmosis ((biology, chemistry) diffusion of molecules through a semipermeable membrane from a place of higher concentration to a place of lower concentration until the concentration on both sides is equal)

reverse osmosis ((chemistry) a method of producing pure water; a solvent passes through a semipermeable membrane in a direction opposite to that for natural osmosis when it is subjected to a hydrostatic pressure greater than the osmotic pressure)

rectification ((chemistry) the process of refinement or purification of a substance by distillation)

acid value ((chemistry) the amount of free acid present in fat as measured by the milligrams of potassium hydroxide needed to neutralize it)

equilibrium constant ((chemistry) the ratio of concentrations when equilibrium is reached in a reversible reaction (when the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reaction))

abundance ((chemistry) the ratio of the total mass of an element in the earth's crust to the total mass of the earth's crust; expressed as a percentage or in parts per million)

stoichiometry ((chemistry) the relation between the quantities of substances that take part in a reaction or form a compound (typically a ratio of whole integers))

saturation point ((chemistry) the stage at which a substance will receive no more of another substance in solution or in a vapor)

state; state of matter ((chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container))

activity ((chemistry) the capacity of a substance to take part in a chemical reaction)

multivalence; multivalency; polyvalence; polyvalency ((chemistry) the state of having a valence greater than two)

acceptor ((chemistry) in the formation of a coordinate bond it is the compound to which electrons are donated)

mixture ((chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding))

atom ((physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element)

monad ((chemistry) an atom having a valence of one)

chemical group; group; radical ((chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule)

fullerene (a form of carbon having a large molecule consisting of an empty cage of sixty or more carbon atoms)

actinide series ((chemistry) a series of 15 radioactive elements with increasing atomic numbers from actinium to lawrencium)

emulsion ((chemistry) a colloid in which both phases are liquids)

molecule ((physics and chemistry) the simplest structural unit of an element or compound)

accelerator; catalyst ((chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected)

sensitiser; sensitizer ((chemistry) a substance other than a catalyst that facilitates the start of a catalytic reaction)

anticatalyst ((chemistry) a substance that retards a chemical reaction or diminishes the activity of a catalyst)

buffer ((chemistry) an ionic compound that resists changes in its pH)

chemical compound; compound ((chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight)

foryml ((chemistry) the negative univalent acyl radical CHO that occurs in aldehydes)

fluorocarbon (a halocarbon in which some hydrogen atoms have been replaced by fluorine; used in refrigerators and aerosols)

indicator ((chemistry) a substance that changes color to indicate the presence of some ion or substance; can be used to indicate the completion of a chemical reaction or (in medicine) to test for a particular reaction)

convert (change in nature, purpose, or function; undergo a chemical change)

deaden (convert (metallic mercury) into a grey powder consisting of minute globules, as by shaking with chalk or fatty oil)

alkalinise; alkalinize (make (a substance) alkaline)

alkalinise; alkalinize (become alkaline)

equilibrate (bring to a chemical stasis or equilibrium)

alchemise; alchemize (alter (elements) by alchemy)

suspend (cause to be held in suspension in a fluid)

resuspend (put back into suspension)

clean; scavenge (remove unwanted substances from)

include (add as part of something else; put in as part of a set, group, or category)

butylate (introduce the butyl group into a chemical compound)

iodise; iodize (treat with iodine)

nitrate (treat with nitric acid, so as to change an organic compound into a nitrate)

strip (remove a constituent from a liquid)

break down; break up; decompose (separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts)

dissociate (to undergo a reversible or temporary breakdown of a molecule into simpler molecules or atoms)

bate (soak in a special solution to soften and remove chemicals used in previous treatments)

attenuate; rarefy (weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance))

moonshine (distill (alcohol) illegally; produce moonshine)

distil; distill (undergo the process of distillation)

distil; distill; extract (extract by the process of distillation)

deoxidise; deoxidize; reduce (to remove oxygen from a compound, or cause to react with hydrogen or form a hydride, or to undergo an increase in the number of electrons)

crack (break into simpler molecules by means of heat)

crack (reduce (petroleum) to a simpler compound by cracking)

catabolise; catabolize (subject to catabolism)

oxidate; oxidise; oxidize (add oxygen to or combine with oxygen)

acetify; acidify (turn acidic)

alkalify; alkalise; alkalize; basify (turn basic and less acidic)

reform (break up the molecules of)

reform (produce by cracking)

polymerise; polymerize (undergo polymerization)

copolymerise; copolymerize (polymerize together)

polymerise; polymerize (cause (a compound) to polymerize)

catalyse; catalyze (change by catalysis or cause to catalyze)

peptise; peptize (disperse in a medium into a colloidal state)

resublime (sublime (a compound) once again)

calcine (heat a substance so that it oxidizes or reduces)

carbonise; carbonize; carburise; carburize (unite with carbon)

transmute (alter the nature of (elements))

conjugate (unite chemically so that the product is easily broken down into the original compounds)

admix (mix or blend)

alloy (make an alloy of)

solvate (undergo solvation or convert into a solvate)

solvate (cause a solvation in (a substance))

react (undergo a chemical reaction; react with another substance under certain conditions)

build (improve the cleansing action of)

saturate (cause (a chemical compound, vapour, solution, magnetic material) to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance)

distill; make pure; purify; sublimate (remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation)

isolate (obtain in pure form)

preisolate (isolate beforehand)

ammonify (treat with ammonia; cause to undergo ammonification)

thoriate (impregnate with thorium oxide to increase thermionic emission)

coke (become coke)

decarboxylate (remove a carboxyl group from (a chemical compound))

decarboxylate (lose a carboxyl group)

denitrify (remove nitrogen from)

detoxicate; detoxify (remove poison from)

esterify (change (a compound) into an ester)

etherify (change into an ether)

acetylate; acetylise; acetylize (introduce an acetyl group into (a chemical compound))

acetylate; acetylise; acetylize (receive substitution of an acetyl group)

carboxylate (treat (a chemical compound) with carboxyl or carboxylic acid)

saponify (convert into soap by hydrolizing an ester into an acid and alcohol as a result of treating it with an alkali)

saponify (become converted into soap by being hydrolized into an acid and alcohol as a result of being treated with an alkali)

volatilise; volatilize (make volatile; cause to pass off in a vapor)

bind (form a chemical bond with)

ligate (bind chemically)

desorb (remove from a surface on which it is adsorbed)

desorb (go away from the surface to which (a substance) is adsorbed)

demineralise; demineralize (remove the minerals or salts from)

isomerise; isomerize (change into an isomer)

isomerise; isomerize (cause to change into an isomer)

sequester (undergo sequestration by forming a stable compound with an ion)

transaminate (undergo transfer from one compound to another)

fractionate (obtain by a fractional process)

fractionate (separate into constituents or fractions containing concentrated constituents)

sulfurette; sulphurette (combine with sulfur)

absorb (become imbued)

adsorb (accumulate (liquids or gases) on the surface)

sorb; take up (take up a liquid or a gas either by adsorption or by absorption)

carburet (combine with carbon)

formulate (prepare according to a formula)

free; liberate; release (release (gas or energy) as a result of a chemical reaction or physical decomposition)

glycerolise; glycerolize (place in glycerol)

deglycerolise; deglycerolize (remove from glycerol)

inhibit (limit, block, or decrease the action or function of)

acidic (being or containing an acid; of a solution having an excess of hydrogen atoms (having a pH of less than 7))

acid (having the characteristics of an acid)

alkalic; alkaline (relating to or containing an alkali; having a pH greater than 7)

basic (of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base)

amphiprotic; amphoteric (having characteristics of both an acid and a base and capable of reacting as either)

reversible (capable of assuming or producing either of two states)

hydrophobic (lacking affinity for water; tending to repel and not absorb water; tending not to dissolve in or mix with or be wetted by water)

hydrophilic (having a strong affinity for water; tending to dissolve in, mix with, or be wetted by water)

oleophilic (having a strong affinity for oils rather than water)

lipophilic; lipotropic (having an affinity for lipids)

critical (at or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction)

noncritical (not critical; not at a point of abrupt change)

cyclic (of a compound having atoms arranged in a ring structure)

acyclic; open-chain (having an open chain structure)

saturated (used especially of organic compounds; having all available valence bonds filled)

unsaturated (used of a compound (especially of carbon) containing atoms sharing more than one valence bond)

free (unconstrained or not chemically bound in a molecule or not fixed and capable of relatively unrestricted motion)

bound (held with another element, substance or material in chemical or physical union)

conjugate; conjugated (of an organic compound; containing two or more double bonds each separated from the other by a single bond)

conjugate; conjugated (formed by the union of two compounds)

heavy ((physics, chemistry) being or containing an isotope with greater than average atomic mass or weight)

light ((physics, chemistry) not having atomic weight greater than average)

iodinating (combining or causing to combine with iodine)

de-iodinating (removing iodine from)

membered (having members; normally used in chemistry in combination with a number)

monovalent; univalent (having a valence of 1)

multivalent; polyvalent (having more than one valence, or having a valence of 3 or higher)

man-made; semisynthetic; synthetic (not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially)

clathrate (designating or relating to a compound in which one component is physically enclosed within the crystal structure of another)

organic (relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis)

inorganic (relating or belonging to the class of compounds not having a carbon basis)

technical-grade; technical grade (containing small amounts of other chemicals, hence slightly impure)

reactive (participating readily in reactions)

unreactive ((chemistry) not reacting chemically)

inactive ((chemistry) not participating in a chemical reaction; chemically inert)

indifferent; inert; neutral (having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive)

rich (high in mineral content; having a high proportion of fuel to air)

supernatant (of a liquid; floating on the surface above a sediment or precipitate)

volatile (evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures)

hydrated; hydrous (containing combined water (especially water of crystallization as in a hydrate))

anhydrous (without water; especially without water of crystallization)

alkylic (of or related to an alkyl)

allylic (of or pertaining to the allyl radical)

aromatic ((chemistry) of or relating to or containing one or more benzene rings)

azido (relating to or containing the azido group N3)

benzylic (relating to benzyl)

cacodylic (of or relating to cacodyl)

carbocyclic (having or relating to or characterized by a ring composed of carbon atoms)

carbolated (containing or treated with carbolic acid)

carbonyl; carbonylic (relating to or containing the carbonyl group)

carboxyl; carboxylic (relating to or containing the carboxyl group or carboxyl radical)

mercuric; mercurous (of or containing mercury)

valent ((chemistry) having valence; usually used in combination)

polymorphic; polymorphous (relating to the crystallization of a compound in two or more different forms)

ethereal (of or containing or dissolved in ether)

bivalent; divalent (having a valence of two or having two valences)

pentavalent (having a valence of five)

tetravalent (haveing a valence of four)

trivalent (having a valence of three)

reversibly (in a reversible manner)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chemistry"):

chemoimmunology; immunochemistry (the field of chemistry concerned with chemical processes in immunology (such as chemical studies of antigens and antibodies))

organic chemistry (the chemistry of compounds containing carbon (originally defined as the chemistry of substances produced by living organisms but now extended to substances synthesized artificially))

inorganic chemistry (the chemistry of compounds that do not contain hydrocarbon radicals)

physical chemistry (the branch of chemistry dealing with the physical properties of chemical substances)

electrochemistry (branch of chemistry that deals with the chemical action of electricity and the production of electricity by chemical reactions)

femtochemistry (the branch of chemistry that studies elementary (often very fast) chemical reactions as they occur; the experimental methods are often based on the use of femtosecond laser pulses)

geochemistry (the chemistry of the earth's crust)

photochemistry (branch of chemistry that deals with the chemical action of light)

nuclear chemistry; radiochemistry (the chemistry of radioactive substances)

surface chemistry (the branch of chemistry that studies processes occurring at interfaces between phases (especially those between liquid and gas))

thermochemistry (the branch of chemistry that studies the relation between chemical action and the amount of heat absorbed or generated)

Derivation:

chemic; chemical (relating to or used in chemistry)

chemical (of or made from or using substances produced by or used in reactions involving atomic or molecular changes)

chemist (a scientist who specializes in chemistry)

chemist (a health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The chemical composition and properties of a substance or object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Context example:

the chemistry of soil

Hypernyms ("chemistry" is a kind of...):

substance (the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The way two individuals relate to each other

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Synonyms:

alchemy; chemistry; interpersonal chemistry

Context example:

a mysterious alchemy brought them together

Hypernyms ("chemistry" is a kind of...):

social relation (a relation between living organisms (especially between people))

 Context examples 

A field of chemistry concerned with the study of inorganic compounds and ions in biological systems.

(Bioinorganic Chemistry, NCI Thesaurus)

Bioinformatics is a rapidly developing branch of biology and is highly interdisciplinary, using techniques and concepts from informatics, statistics, mathematics, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and linguistics.

(Bioinformatics, NCI Thesaurus)

The chemistry of living organisms and of the chemical, molecular, and physical changes occurring therein, pertaining the the cell.

(Biochemistry and Cellular Biology, NCI Thesaurus)

The study of the chemistry of endocrine hormones in living organisms.

(Biochemical Endocrinology, NCI Thesaurus)

A branch of chemistry dealing with the biosynthesis of compounds.

(Biosynthetic Chemistry, NCI Thesaurus)

Rules created by Robert Sidney Cahn, Christopher Kelk Ingold and Vladimer Prelog to name stereoisomers in organic chemistry.

(Cahn-Ingold-Prelog Priority System, NCI Thesaurus)

A branch of physical chemistry that seeks to explain time-dependent phenomena in terms of the detailed motion of the nuclei and electrons that constitute the system.

(Chemical Dynamics, NCI Thesaurus)

Chemistry of molecules having the form Cn(H2O)n

(Carbohydrate Chemistry, NCI Thesaurus)

The study of the biological and physiological chemistry of carbohydrates.

(Carbohydrate Biochemistry, NCI Thesaurus)

In chemistry, the quality of being a base (not an acid).

(Basicity, NCI Dictionary)