disülfit

Disülfit is a chemical term that can refer to a few different things, but most commonly it relates to the disulfide bond or disulfides. A disulfide bond is a covalent chemical bond formed between two sulfur atoms. It is often represented by the functional group -S-S-. These bonds are particularly important in the structure and stability of proteins, where they can link different parts of a single polypeptide chain or connect two separate protein chains. The formation and breaking of disulfide bonds are crucial processes in many biological functions, including protein folding and enzyme activity.

In a broader chemical context, disulfides are compounds containing the -S-S- functional group. Examples include organic disulfides like dimethyl disulfide (CH3SSCH3) and inorganic disulfides. Inorganic disulfides are salts containing the disulfite anion, S2O4^2-. The most common example of an inorganic disulfide is sodium dithionite (Na2S2O4), which is a powerful reducing agent. Disulfides play various roles in industrial chemistry and in biological systems.