| nucleophil | Nucleophile 1. The electron pair donor atom in a chemical reaction in which a pair of electrons is picked up by an electrophil. 2. Relating to a nucleophil. Synonym: nucleophilic. Origin: nucleo-+ G. Philos, fond (05 Mar 2000) |
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| nucleophile | <chemistry> A species that loves a nucleus. Since nuclei are positively charged, nucleophiles are negatively charged or bear a partial negative charge. Examples are lone pairs or a hydroxide ion. (09 Jan 1998) |
| nucleophilic | Synonym: nucleophil. 2. A reaction involving a nucleophile. (05 Mar 2000) |