branched chain

1. 1.

   an open chain of atoms with one or more side chains attached to it

   Broaderopen chain

Questions about branched chain

What does branched chain mean?

branched chain means "an open chain of atoms with one or more side chains attached to it".

Is branched chain a common word?

branched chain is banded "Rare" — specialist or archaic — most readers will not have met it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.