chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, congeners are chemical substances "related to each other by origin, structure, or function".

Common origin and structure

Any significant quantity of a polyhalogenated compound is by default a blend of multiple molecule types because each molecule forms independently, and chlorine and bromine do not strongly select which site(s) they bond to. *Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a family of 209 congeners. * Polybrominated biphenyls and polychlorinated diphenyl ethers are also families of 209 congeners. Similarly polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polychlorinated terphenyls, polychlorinated naphthalene, polychloro phenoxy phenol, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) ( pentabromodiphenyl ether, octabromodiphenyl ether, decabromodiphenyl ether), etc. are also groups of congeners.

Common origin

* Congener (alcohol), substances other than alcohol (desirable or undesirable) also produced during fermentation. *Congeners of

oleic acid Oleic acid is a fatty acid that occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is an odorless, colorless oil, although commercial samples may be yellowish due to the presence of impurities. In chemical terms, oleic acid is cl ...

s can modify

cell membrane The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extr ...

behavior, protecting against tumors or having effects on blood pressure.

Common structure

Congeners can refer to similar compounds that substitute other elements with similar valences, yielding molecules having similar structures. Examples: * potassium chloride and

sodium chloride Sodium chloride , commonly known as Salt#Edible salt, edible salt, is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. It is transparent or translucent, brittle, hygroscopic, and occurs a ...

may be considered congeners; also potassium chloride and potassium fluoride. *

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...

(HOOH), hydrogen thioperoxide (HSOH), and hydrogen disulfide (HSSH). Structural analogs are often isoelectronic.

Other

*Congeners refer to the various oxidation states of a given element in a compound. For example, titanium(II) chloride (titanium dichloride), titanium(III) chloride (titanium trichloride), and titanium(IV) chloride ( titanium tetrachloride) may be considered congeners. *Congeners can refer to other elements in the same group in the

periodic table The periodic table, also known as the periodic table of the elements, is an ordered arrangement of the chemical elements into rows (" periods") and columns (" groups"). It is an icon of chemistry and is widely used in physics and other s ...

. For example, congeners of the Group 11 element

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

are

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

and

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

, sometimes found together in the same ores ( porphyry copper deposit) due to their chemical similarity.

References

{{Wiktionary Chemistry