Dictionary > Valence

Valence

Definition
noun, plural: valences
(biology, immunology) The relative capability of a substance (e.g. antibody) to act upon, react, or bind with a biological substrate (e.g. antigen); the number of antigen binding sites that an antibody has, or the number of antigenic determinants an antigen has.
(biochemistry ) The number of binding sites on a molecule.
(chemistry) A property of atom or radical that indicates its combining power, especially in terms of the number of hydrogen atoms.
Supplement
Word origin: Latin valentia (strength)
Related forms: valent (noun or adjective)
Synonym: valency
Related terms:

  • polyvalence

You will also like...

Young plant growing from the soil.
Soils

Nutrients in the soil are essential to the proper growth of a land plant. This tutorial deals with the properties of soi..

genes controlling growth and development
Control of Growth & Development

Control of Growth & Development tutorials look at how the genetic makeup determines the biological processes on a da..

primitive arthropods
Arthropods

The arthropods were assumed to be the first taxon of species to possess jointed limbs and exoskeleton, exhibit more adva..

Homeostatic Mechanisms and Cellular Communication
Homeostatic Mechanisms and Cellular Communication

Homeostasis is the relatively stable conditions of the internal environment that result from compensatory regulatory res..

Physiological Homeostasis
Physiological Homeostasis

Homeostasis is essential to maintain conditions within the tolerable limits. Otherwise, the body will fail to function p..

Protein (illustration)
Protein Variety

The sequence of amino acids determines the type of protein. Protein is synthesized according to the sequence of nucleoti..