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.
- macromolecular c. the c. of macromolecules ( e.g., proteins, nucleic acid s) and polymers (nylon, polyethylene, etc).
- medicinal c. SYN: pharmaceutical c..
- 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.
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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.Medical dictionary. 2011.