substituent

American  

[suhb-stich-oo-uhnt] / sʌbˈstɪtʃ u ənt /

noun

1. Chemistry. an atom or atomic group that takes the place of another atom or group present in the molecule of the original compound.

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adjective

1. having been or capable of being substituted.

substituent British  

/ sʌbˈstɪtjʊənt /

noun

1. chem an atom or group that replaces another atom or group in a molecule or can be regarded as replacing an atom in a parent compound

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adjective

1. substituted or substitutable

Usage

What does substituent mean? Substituent is an adjective that can mean the same thing as substituted or substitutable (both of which are much more commonly used).The word substitutable can mean capable of being used as a substitute, but it probably more often means capable of being replaced.The related (and also uncommon) adjective substitutive is used to describe a thing capable of taking the place of or that has taken the place of another. (It can also be used to describe anything that involves such a substitution.)Substituent is an adjective form of the word substitute, which can be used as both a verb (to replace something with another thing) or as a noun (something that replaces something else).Substituent is more specifically and commonly used in the context of chemistry, in which it refers to an atom or group of atoms that replaces another atom or group of atoms in a molecule.Example: The item you ordered is not substituent, so you will be issued a refund.

Etymology

Origin of substituent

1890–95; < Latin substituent- (stem of substituēns ), present participle of substituere to substitute, equivalent to sub- sub- + -stitu-, combining form of statuere to set up, erect ( statue ) + -ent- -ent

Example Sentences

"Imagine you have a benzene ring and it has one substituent on it," Chikik added.

From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2023

The position of a substituent or branch is identified by the number of the carbon atom it is bonded to in the chain.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

We call a substituent that contains one less hydrogen than the corresponding alkane an alkyl group.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The presence of the latter interaction was hypothesized on the basis of the observation that reaction enantioselectivity generally correlated with the size of extended π systems of the catalyst aryl substituent.

From Nature • Mar. 28, 2017

Not only does the substituent group modify the readiness with which the derivative is attacked, but also the nature of the product.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various