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chemical fingerprint

American  

noun

  1. a distinctive characteristic or pattern indicating the presence of a certain molecule, used to identify a chemical.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They measured platinum, iridium, and other trace elements to build a chemical fingerprint.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2026

That leaves room for scientific debate about whether a residue is the chemical fingerprint of a particular plant.

From Washington Post • Feb. 1, 2023

It is an airborne infrared spectrometer that measures wavelengths in light to detect and quantify the unique chemical fingerprint of methane in the atmosphere.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2022

This is the chemical fingerprint of the asteroid.

From Scientific American • May 17, 2022

This radiation contains the glass's chemical fingerprint - from which the researchers were able to work out its age.

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.