dimer

American  

[dahy-mer] / ˈdaɪ mər /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a molecule composed of two identical, simpler molecules.

2. a polymer derived from two identical monomers.

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dimer British  

/ ˈdaɪmə /

noun

1. chem

   1. a molecule composed of two identical simpler molecules (monomers)

   2. a compound consisting of dimers

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dimer Scientific  

/ dī′mər /

1. Any of various chemical compounds made of two smaller identical or similar molecules (called monomers) that are linked together. Dimers are linked by hydrogen bonds, coordinate bonds, or covalent bonds. Sucrose is a dimer composed of the monomers glucose and fructose.

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Other Word Forms

• dimeric adjective

Etymology

Origin of dimer

First recorded in 1905–10; di- ¹ + -mer

Example Sentences

This molecule, known as the deprotonated dimer H3PO4·H2PO4-, became the focus of the study.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

Study results showed that PD-1 forms a dimer through interactions of its transmembrane segment.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2024

RAS, when bound to GTP, forms a dimer after binding to the ligand, and causes uncontrolled division, but it remains inactive when the ligand is absent.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

As is often the case with molecules that contain an unpaired electron, two molecules combine to form a dimer by pairing their unpaired electrons to form a bond.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Peaper, D. R., Wearsch, P. A. & Cresswell, P. Tapasin and ERp57 form a stable disulfide-linked dimer within the MHC class I peptide-loading complex.

From Nature • Nov. 5, 2017