Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry
Dimer:
A
structure
containing two identical or similar units. These units may be associated by
covalent bonding
or by
noncovalent forces
.
Gly
-
Gly
is a
dipeptide
dimer in which the two
amino acid residues
are identical (both are
glycine
). The two units comprising this dimer are attached via a
covalent bond
.
Gly
-
Cys
is a
dipeptide
dimer in which the two
amino acid residues
are very similar (both are
amino acids
). The two units comprising this dimer are attached via a
covalent bond
.
Despite its
polar covalent bonds
,
acetic acid
has a low
dielectric constant
. This is because
acetic acid
forms
hydrogen-bonded
dimers in which the
polar covalent bonds
of two
acetic acid
molecules
are opposed.
Related terms:
Monomer
,
disaccharide
,
diterpene
,
trimer
,
tripeptide
,
triterpene
,
tetramer
,
tetrapeptide
,
polymer
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