PURINE


Meaning of PURINE in English

/pyoor"een, -in/ , n. Chem., Biochem.

1. a white, crystalline compound, C 5 H 4 N 4 , from which is derived a group of compounds including uric acid, xanthine, and caffeine.

2. one of several purine derivatives, esp. the bases adenine and guanine, which are fundamental constituents of nucleic acids.

[ 1895-1900; Purin. See PURE, URIC, -INE 2 ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .