Reactant
Reactant
Reactant (pronounced ree-ak-tant) is a substance that takes part in and undergoes change during a reaction. In the field of medicine, reactants play a crucial role in various biological and chemical reactions that occur in the human body.
Etymology
The term "reactant" is derived from the verb "react", which originates from the Latin word "reagere", meaning "to act in return".
Definition
In chemistry, a reactant is a substance that is consumed in the course of a chemical reaction. In the context of medicine, reactants are often involved in metabolic reactions, enzymatic processes, and other biochemical transformations that are essential for life.
Related Terms
- Reaction: A process in which one or more substances, the reactants, are converted to one or more different substances, the products.
- Enzyme: A protein that acts as a biological catalyst to speed up a chemical reaction.
- Metabolism: The set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms.
- Biochemistry: The study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms.
Usage in Medicine
In medicine, the term "reactant" is often used to refer to substances that participate in biochemical reactions in the body. For example, in the process of digestion, food substances act as reactants that are broken down by enzymes into simpler compounds. Similarly, in the immune response, antigens act as reactants that trigger the production of antibodies.
Reactants are also crucial in the field of pharmacology, where they are involved in the metabolic processes that transform drugs into their active or inactive forms.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Reactant
- Wikipedia's article - Reactant
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski