Chemical space is the space spanned by all possible (i.e. energetically stable) molecules and chemical compounds – that is, all stoichiometric combinations of electrons and atomic nuclei, in all possible topology isomers. Chemical reactions allow us to move in chemical space. The mapping between chemical space and molecular properties is often not unique, meaning that there can be multiple molecules which exhibit the same properties. Material design and drug discovery both involve the exploration of chemical space.
As of July 2009, there were 49,037,297 organic and inorganic substances registered with the Chemical Abstracts Service, indicating that they have been reported in the scientific literature. Systematic exploration of chemical space is possible by creating in silico databases of virtual molecules.
Famous quotes containing the words chemical and/or space:
“We are close to dead. There are faces and bodies like gorged maggots on the dance floor, on the highway, in the city, in the stadium; they are a host of chemical machines who swallow the product of chemical factories, aspirin, preservatives, stimulant, relaxant, and breathe out their chemical wastes into a polluted air. The sense of a long last night over civilization is back again.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)
“Why not a space flower? Why do we always expect metal ships?”
—W.D. Richter (b. 1945)