| Revision as of 07:22, 1 August 2005 editMysid (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users13,497 editsm chemestry -> chemistry← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:21, 6 August 2005 edit undoRfc1394 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Template editors16,687 editsm →See alsoNext edit → | ||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| ] | ] ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 15:21, 6 August 2005
In chemistry, a dimer is a molecule composed of two subunits linked together. It is a special case of a polymer. Among the most common dimers are certain types of sugar; sucrose, for example, is a dimer of a glucose molecule and a fructose molecule.
A physical dimer is a term that designate the case where intermolecular interaction brings two identical molecules closer together than other molecules. There is no chemical bonds between the physical dimer molecules.
In biology, a dimer is a protein complex made up of two subunits. In a homodimer the two subunits are identical, and in a heterodimer they differ (though they are often still very similar in structure). The subunits do not need to be covalently linked, and usually aren't.