Meaning & use
Substituent
Last updated
An atom or group of atoms that replaces one or more hydrogen atoms in a parent chemical compound.
See it in a sentence
Adding a chlorine substituent to the benzene ring changed the compound's reactivity.
Chemists classify substituents as either electron-donating or electron-withdrawing based on their effect on the ring.
A note on using this word
Substituents are central to organic chemistry naming rules, since a compound's full name typically lists each substituent along with its position on the parent chain.
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