Side chain
Branch Side-chain Pendant chain An oligomeric or polymeric offshoot from a macromolecular chain.
Notes 1. An oligomeric branch may be termed a
short-chain branch. 2. A polymeric branch may be termed a
long-chain branch. In organic chemistry and biochemistry, a
side chain is a chemical group that is attached to a core part of the molecule called "main chain" or backbone. A side chain is also known as a
pendant chain, but a pendant group has a different definition. The placeholder
R is often used as a generic placeholder for alkyl group side chains in chemical structure diagrams. To indicate other non-carbon groups in structure diagrams,
X,
Y, or
Z is often used. The
R symbol was introduced by 19th-century French chemist Charles Frédéric Gerhardt, who advocated its adoption on the grounds that it would be widely recognizable and intelligible given its correspondence in multiple European...