WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
o′pen chain′, [Chem.]
  1. Chemistrya series of atoms linked in a chain not joined together at its ends, and so represented in its structural formula. Cf. closed chain. 
  • 1880–85
o′pen-chain′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
open chain
  1. a chain of atoms in a molecule that is not joined at its ends into the form of a ring
'open chain' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
aliphatic - branched chain - chain - closed chain - side chain - straight-chain

Forum discussions with the word(s) "open chain" in the title:


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