dottermolekyl

Dottermolekyl is a term used in chemistry and biochemistry to denote a molecule that is derived from a parent molecule through a chemical transformation while retaining a recognizable portion of the original molecular framework. The concept, whose name translates to "daughter molecule" in several Scandinavian languages, emphasizes the relationship between the product and its precursor.

In practice, a dottermolekyl can arise by cleavage of a bond, enzymatic modification, or partial synthesis that preserves structural elements of the parent. The term is often used in discussions of degradation pathways, fragmentation processes, or stepwise synthesis, and it has an analogue in mass spectrometry where a daughter ion retains part of the parent ion’s structure.

Characterization of a dottermolekyl typically relies on spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and elemental analysis help establish the retained substructure and its relation to the parent. Isotopic labeling or computational modeling may further confirm linkage and origin.

Applications include studying reaction mechanisms and metabolic pathways, tracing drug metabolism, and designing modular synthetic routes where a subset of the parent’s framework serves as a starting point for further elaboration. The term remains context-dependent and is more common in regional or specialized literature than in formal nomenclature.