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chemical

chemical

541 3.2
A substance made or used when materials react
  • noun
  • /ˈkɛmɪkəl/
translation icon : sustancia química
  • Over 40 of these are harmful chemicals that are known to cause cancer and other smoking-related diseases.
  • toxic chemicals
  • hazardous chemicals
  • harmful chemicals

So we're going to store this chemical for you.

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Examples

  • Study suggests that that chemical could be linked to cancer.

  • Here on Earth, these chemicals come from living organisms.

  • So we're going to store this chemical for you.

  • However, concerns arose about toxic chemicals being present in this type of water.

    Academic text (1999)
  • And it's the natural chemical compound geosmin.

  • Leading scientists point to hormone disruption chemicals as one of the causes.

  • The chemical housings open, and the chemicals begin to spill and drop through brass tubes.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The lab technician carefully labeled the chemical before storing it in the cabinet.

  • The researchers discovered that the chemical used in the experiment had unexpected results.

  • Farmers are warned about the potential harms of using certain chemicals on their crops.

Synonyms

substance
vschemical
335 2.8

A physical material that objects are made of

focuses on materials made or used in processes that change atoms or molecules
chemical substance
vschemical
  • Specialized
1 3.2

A material used in reactions or to make other things like medicines

is used more generally for items made or used in such processes without exact composition

Compounds

chemical weapon
  • Literature
176 4.6

A harmful chemical that kills or hurts people, animals and plants in war

chemical reaction
  • Specialized
24 3.1

A change where substances turn into different substances

chemical plant
  • Specialized
18 3.6

A factory that makes chemicals in large amounts

chemical warfare
  • Specialized
12 5.6

The use of poisonous chemicals as weapons to kill or hurt people

A change in brain chemicals that affects mood and thinking

chemical compound
  • Specialized
8 2.8

A substance made of two or more elements joined in fixed amounts, like water

chemical engineering
  • Specialized
8 4.1

A field that designs machines and processes using chemistry to make products like fuels and plastics

chemical agent
  • Specialized
7 4.1

A substance used to cause or speed up a change in other substances

chemical analysis
  • Specialized
6 3.5

To test a substance to find what elements or compounds are in it

Businesses and factories that make materials used in medicines, plastics and cleaners

chemical process
  • Specialized
4 3.5

A process that changes the tiny particles that make a substance

chemical element
  • Specialized
3 3.7

A pure substance made of atoms that all have the same number of protons, like oxygen or gold

chemical formula
  • Specialized
3 3.6

Symbols that show which elements are in a substance and how many of each

A substance that can cause harm to people, animals, or the environment

chemical energy
  • Specialized
2 4.0

Power stored inside substances that is released when they react together

1 5.8

A weapon that releases toxic chemicals when it explodes to kill or harm people

chemical property
  • Specialized
1 5.1

How a substance reacts in a chemical reaction and becomes a different substance

An international agreement that bans creating, storing, moving or using chemical weapons

chemical change
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A process that turns one substance into a different one by changing its atoms or molecules

chemical bond
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A force that holds atoms or ions together to form a compound

chemical substance
  • Specialized
1 3.2

A material used in reactions or to make other things like medicines

chemical equilibrium
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A state in a reaction where forward and reverse reactions happen equally so amounts stay constant

chemical defense
  • Specialized
1 4.4

Actions and equipment used to protect people and deal with attacks or accidents involving dangerous chemicals

chemical group
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A small group of atoms joined together that is part of a larger molecule and gives it certain properties

chemical irritant
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A substance that makes skin, eyes or breathing feel sore, like tear gas

chemical balance
  • Specialized
1 6.1

An exact scale in a lab for measuring very small amounts of chemicals

chemical terrorism
  • Specialized
1 7.9

Using dangerous chemicals as weapons to harm people and cause fear

A chemical reaction where one compound breaks into two or more different substances

chemical diabetes
  • Specialized
5.3

A mild form of diabetes that shows abnormal blood sugar tests but no clear symptoms

6.8

A liquid spray that makes eyes burn and makes people feel dizzy so they cannot move

chemical mechanism
  • Specialized
4.5

Steps that show how a chemical reaction happens

chemical notation
  • Specialized
5.3

A system of symbols and formulas that shows chemical elements, compounds, and reactions

Use of poisonous gas or chemicals in war to kill and hurt soldiers

chemical phenomenon
  • Specialized
4.6

A change where substances become new substances when they react together

chemical action
  • Specialized
3.5

A process in which substances change into new substances, for example rusting or cooking

chemical attraction
  • Specialized
3.5

A force that pulls atoms together to form molecules

chemical chain
  • Specialized
4.5

A long series of atoms joined together that forms part of a molecule like in plastic

chemical reactor
  • Specialized
4.4

A container or device that holds and controls chemical reactions

6.5

A rule that in a reversible chemical reaction the forward and reverse reactions happen at the same rate at equilibrium

A chemical test that measures how much of each substance is in a sample

research chemical
  • Specialized
7.1

A substance made in a lab for scientists to test, not for medical use

A drug sold for people to take with unknown effects and risks

An international group that helps countries destroy chemical weapons and checks they do not make or use them

A chemical used in scientific research that is not controlled by authorities

How Experimental

research chemical
  • Specialized
7.1
designer drug
  • NSFW
5 7.6
chemical
541 3.2
pharmaceutical
  • Specialized
18 4.6

Surface Forms

chemical singular
chemicals plural

Etymology

Chemical as a noun comes from the same root as alchemy and chemistry, which were about changing and testing materials. So a 'chemical' today is a substance used in a process that makes changes, for example in a lab or a factory.