OPEN CHAIN

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

A chain of atoms in a molecule whose ends are not joined to form a ring

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("open chain" is a kind of...):

chain; chemical chain ((chemistry) a series of linked atoms (generally in an organic molecule))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "open chain"):

branched chain (an open chain of atoms with one or more side chains attached to it)

straight chain (an open chain of atoms with no side chains)

Antonym:

closed chain ((chemistry) a chain of atoms in a molecule that forms a closed loop)