CROSSLINK

Cross-link

A cross-link is a bond that links one polymer chain to another. They can be covalent bonds or ionic bonds. "Polymer chains" can refer to synthetic polymers or natural polymers . When the term "cross-linking" is used in the synthetic polymer science field, it usually refers to the use of cross-links to promote a difference in the polymers' physical properties. When "crosslinking" is used in the biological field, it refers to the use of a probe to link proteins together to check for protein–protein interactions, as well as other creative cross-linking methodologies.

The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Cross-link
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

crosslink

Noun

  1. A covalent bond (or series of bonds) between adjacent chains of a polymer
  2. A similar bond between strands of nucleic acid

Verb

  1. To join polymer chains together to form one single molecule. An object made from a crosslinked material contains only one supergiant molecule. Crosslinking may take place through covalent bonds or ionic bonds


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: crosslink
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Need help with a clue?
Try your search in the crossword dictionary!