Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
unsubstituted

unsubstituted

1 8.1
A molecule that has no atoms or groups changed
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌnˈsʌbstɪˌtjuːtɪd/
  • Specialized
: no sustituido
  • An unsubstituted aromatic ring often serves as a reference in chemical studies.

Examples

  • The chemist compared the properties of the unsubstituted compound with those of its derivatives.

  • Researchers observed different reactivity in the unsubstituted molecule compared to its substituted forms.

  • The unsubstituted compound showed higher reactivity.

  • Is this molecule unsubstituted?

  • The chemist compared the properties of the unsubstituted compound with those of its derivatives.

  • An unsubstituted aromatic ring often serves as a reference in chemical studies.

  • Researchers observed different reactivity in the unsubstituted molecule compared to its substituted forms.

Surface Forms

unsubstituted positive

Morphology

unsubstituted = substituted (transparent) = un + substitute + ed

Formed by standard negation 'un-' applied to the participial/adjectival 'substituted', yielding 'not substituted' in a straightforward way.

Etymology

The word unsubstituted is made of the prefix un- meaning 'not' and substitute meaning 'to stand in for' or 'replace'. Think of a 'substitute' teacher who stands in when the regular teacher is away. So an unsubstituted compound or molecule has nothing 'standing in' for its parts; no atom or group has been replaced.