The name for a family of commercial chemicals usually provides a fairly clear idea of the related compounds within it. An example is organophosphate pesticides. Another is brominated flame retardants.

A basic building block of matter. There are 118 chemical elements, 94 of which occur in nature. The additional 24 are created in labs. See rare earth elements and isotope. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR ...

A chemical element is one of those squares on the periodic table that adorns many a classroom wall. Sure. But what is an element really? It is a more subtle question that you might realise. To get to ...

In one of the few studies to directly investigate the mechanism underlying the effect of essential elements on plant disease resistance, scientists demonstrate that nutrient elements activate immune ...