sivuketjuihin

Sivuketjuihin is a Finnish term used in polymer chemistry to denote side chains—substituent groups attached to a main carbon backbone in polymers and related molecules. The word combines sivu (“side”) with ketju (“chain”) and is employed in Finnish-language texts to describe the architecture and distribution of non-main-chain substituents on a molecular chain. In practice, sivuketjuihin refer to the various substituent groups that extend from the main chain, including alkyl, aryl, or more complex moieties. Side chains may be linear, branched, or dendritic, and their pattern defines polymer architectures such as linear, branched, comb, or dendritic structures.

In usage, the phrase sivuketjuihin may appear in synthesis descriptions, structural characterizations, or discussions of properties. The presence and characteristics of side chains influence key material properties, including solubility, processability, glass transition temperature, crystallinity, and mechanical behavior, with longer or more bulky chains generally increasing free volume and reducing packing efficiency.

Related Finnish terms include sivuketjujen sijainti (location of side chains), sivuketjujen pituus (length of side chains), and sivuketjujen jäykkyys (stiffness of side chains). In English-language literature the corresponding concept is simply “side chains.” The Finnish term sivuketjuihin thus serves to describe the same structural feature within Finnish scientific writing.