chemistry

1. The science concerned with the atomic composition of substances, the elements, and their interreactions, as well as the formation, decomposition, and properties of molecules. 2. The chemical properties of a substance. 3. Chemical processes. [G. chemeia, alchemy]

- analytic c. the application of c. to the determination and detection of composition and identification of specific substances.

- applied c. the application of the theories and principles of c. to practical purposes.

- biologic c. SYN: biochemistry.

- clinical c. 1. the c. of human health and disease; 2. c. in connection with the management of patients, as in a hospital laboratory.

- ecologic c. 1. c. that concentrates on the effects of human-made chemicals on the environment as well as the development of agents that are not harmful to the environment; 2. the study of the molecular interactions between species and between species and the environment.

- epithermal c. so-called “hot atom” c.; the science concerned with the chemical reactions of recoil atoms and free radicals produced in low energy nuclear processes.

- inorganic c. the science concerned with compounds not involving carbon-containing molecules.

- macromolecular c. the c. of macromolecules ( e.g., proteins, nucleic acid s) and polymers (nylon, polyethylene, etc).

- medicinal c. SYN: pharmaceutical c..

- nuclear c. the science concerned with the c. of nuclear reactions and processes.

- organic c. that branch of c. concerned with covalently linked atoms, centering around carbon compounds of this type; originally, and still including, the c. of natural products.

- pharmaceutical c. medicinal c. in its application to the analysis, development, preparation, and the manufacture of drugs. SYN: medicinal c., pharmacochemistry.

- physiologic c. SYN: biochemistry.

- radiopharmaceutical c. the science concerned with the labeling of pharmaceuticals with radionuclides.

- synthetic c. the formation or building up of complex compounds by uniting the more simple ones.

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chem·is·try 'kem-ə-strē n, pl -tries

1) a science that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the transformations that they undergo

2 a) the composition and chemical properties of a substance <the \chemistry of hemoglobin>

b) chemical processes and phenomena (as of an organism) <blood \chemistry>

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chem·is·try (kemґis-tre) [Gr. chēmeia alchemy] the science that deals with the elements and atomic relations of matter, and of the various compounds of the elements.