straight-chain

[ streyt-cheyn ]
/ ˈstreɪtˈtʃeɪn /

noun Chemistry.

an open chain of atoms, usually carbon, with no side chains attached to it.
Also called straight chain.
Compare branched chain.

Origin of straight-chain

First recorded in 1925–30

Words nearby straight-chain

straight up, straight whiskey, straight-ahead, straight-arm, straight-backed, straight-chain, straight-edge, straight-from-the-shoulder, straight-laced, straight-line, straight-out

British Dictionary definitions for straight chain

straight chain

noun

  1. an open chain of atoms in a molecule with no attached side chains
  2. (as modifier)a straight-chain hydrocarbon
Compare branched chain

Scientific definitions for straight chain

straight chain

An arrangement of atoms of the same type that forms an unbranched open chain. Propane is a straight-chain compound with a chain of three carbon atoms.