Chemistry Abbreviations and Acronyms (2024)

This is an alphabetical collection of chemistry abbreviations and acronyms:

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Chemistry Abbreviations Starting WithA

A – Atom
a – atto prefix (10^-18)
AA – Acetic Acid
AA – Amino Acid
AA – Atomic Absorption spectroscopy
AACC – American Association for Clinical Chemistry
AADC – Amino Acid DeCarboxylase
AADC – Aromatic L-Amino acid DeCarboxylase
AAS – Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
AB – Acid Base
AB – Acid Bath
ABC – Atomic, Biological, Chemical
ABCC – Advanced Biomedical Computing Center
ABCC – American Board of Clinical Chemistry
ABS – Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
ABS – Absorb
ABV – Alcohol By Volume
ABW – Alcohol By Weight
Ac – Actinium
AC – Aromatic Carbon
ACC – American Chemical Council
ACE – Acetate
ACS – American Chemical Society
ADP – Adenosine DiPhosphate
AE – Activation Energy
AE – Atomic Emission
AE – Acid Equivalent
AFS – Atomic Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Ag – Silver
AH – Aryl Hydrocarbon
AHA – Alpha Hydroxy Acid
Al – Aluminum
ALDH – ALdehyde DeHydrogenase
Am – Americium
AM – Atomic Mass
AMP – Adenosine MonoPhosphate
AMU – Atomic Mass Unit
AN – Ammonium Nitrate
ANSI – American National Standards Institute
AO – Aqueous Oxygen
AO – Aldehyde Oxidase
API – Aromatic PolyImide
AR – Analytical Reagent
Ar – Argon
As – Arsenic
AS – Ammonium Sulfate
ASA – AcetylSalicylic Acid
ASP – ASParate
AT – Adenine and Thymine
AT – Alkaline Transition
At – Astatine
AT NO – Atomic Number
ATP – Adenosine TriPhosphate
ATP – Ambient Temperature Pressure
Au – Gold
AW – Atomic Weight
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With B

B – Boron
Ba – Barium
BA – Benzyl Alcohol
BA – Bonding Activity
BA – Butyl Acetate
B[a]P – Benzo[a]Pyrene
BAP – Benzyl Amino Purine
BC – Bond Centered
BC – Boron Carbide
BCAA – Branched Chain Amino Acid
BCC – Body Centered Cubic
BCF – Black Carbon Fiber
BD – Black Diamond
Be – Beryllium
BE- Bond Energy
BeV – Billion Electron Volt (equal to 1 GeV)
BFR – Brominated Flame Retardants
Bh – Bohrium
BHA – Butylated Hydroxy Acid
BHA – Butylated HydroxyAnisole
BHD – Benzene Hydrogen Donor
BHT – Butylated Hydroxy Toluene
Bi – Bismuth
Bk – Berkelium
BLEVE – Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion
BM – Base Metal
BMDL – Below Method Detection Limits
BOD – Biological Organic Deposit
BOV – Blow Off Valve
BP – Benzoyl Peroxide
BP – Boiling Point
BPDE – Benzo[A]Pyrene-Diol-Epoxide BPE – Boiling Point Elevation
BPO – Benzoyl PerOxide
Br – Bromine
BTA – BuTylated hydroxyAnisole
BTEX – Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene
BTTN – 1,2,4-ButaneTriol TriNitrate
BTX – Benzene, Toluene, Xylene
BWR – Boiling Water Reactor
Bz – Benzoyl functional group
BZP – BenZylPiperazine
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With C

C – Carbon
C – Celsius
c – centi prefix (10^-2)
C – Coulomb
C – Cytosine
Ca – Calcium
CA – Citric Acid
CAB – Cation-Anion Balance
CADS – Chemical Agent Detection System
CAR – Commercial And Residential
CAS – Chemical Abstracts Service
CAW – Catalyst Altered Water
CB – Conduction Band
CBA – Cytometric Bead Array
CBR – Chemical, Biological, Radiological
CBRE – Chemical, Biological, Radiological Element
CBRN – Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear
CC – Cubic Centimeter
CCBA – Chemical Coordinate Bonding and Adsorption
CCL – Contaminant Candidate List
CCM – cubic centimeter
CCS – Carbon Capture Storage
Cd – Cadmium
CDA – Clean Dry Air
CDR – Chemical Distribution Room
CDSL – Chemical Data Summary List
CDU – Chemical Dispensing Unit
Ce – Cerium
CE – Chemical Engineering
CEP – Chemical Engineering Process
Cf – Californium
CF – Carbon Fiber
CF – Ceramic Fiber
CFA – Cetylated Fatty Acid
CFC – Chlorofluorocarbon
CFRP – Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic
cg – centigram
CGS – Centimeter, Gram, Second
CHC – Chlorinated HydroCarbon
Chem – Chemistry
CHM – Chemistry
CHO – Carbohydrate
Ci – Curie
CLC – Cross Linked Cellulose
Cm – Curium
cm – centimeter
CML – Chemical Markup Language
CN – Coordination Number
CN – Cyanide
CNO – Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen
CNP – Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterase
CNT – Carbon NanoTube
Co – Cobalt
CO – Carbon monoxide
CP – Chemically Pure
CP – Creatine Phosphate
CPA – CoPolymer Alloy
CPE – Chemical Potential Energy
Cr – Chromium
CR – Corrosion Resistant
CRAP – Crude Reagent And Products
CRC – Chemical Rubber Company
CRT – Cathode Ray Tube
Cs – Cesium
CSAC – Chemical Safety Analysis and Control
CSAD – Cysteine Sulfinic Acid Decarboxylase
CSTR – Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor
Cu – Copper
CVCS – Chemical Volume Control System
CW – Chemical Warfare
CWA – Chemical Warfare Agent
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With D

d – day
d – deci prefix (10^-1)
D – Deuterium
D – Dilute
D- – Dextrorotatory
D2O – Deuterium Oxide or Heavy Water
da – deca prefix (10¹)
da – dalton
DAB – Diaminobenzidine
DAP – DiAmmonium Phosphate
dB – decibel
DB – Double Bond
Db – Dubnium
DDT – Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane
DE – Dissociation Energy
DEC – Direct Evaporative Cooling
DEG – Degree
DEG – DiEthylene Glycol
DGA – Dissolved Gas Analysis
DHA – DocosaHexanoic Acid
DHMO – DiHydrogen MonOxide (water)
DHY – Dehydrate
DI – Diffusion Index
DIAPHOX – DIAmino PHosphine OXide
DIN – Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen
DIP – Dissolved Inorganic Phosphate
DIW – De-Ionized Water
DLC – Dry Liquid Concentrate
DLS – Dynamic Light Scattering
DM – Dipole Moment
DM – Dry Matter
DMAE – DiMethyl Amino Ethanol
DMAP – 4-DiMethylAminoPyridine
DMBP – DiMethyl BenzoPhenone
DME – DiMethyl Ether
DMG – DiMethyl Glycine
DMHg – DiMethyl mercury
DMK – DiMethyl Ketone
DMSO – DiMethyl SulfOxide
DMT – DiMethylTryptamine
DNA – DeoxyriboNucleic Acid
DOC – Dissolved Organic Compounds
DP – Differential Pressure
DP – Dry Process
DPM – Dynamic Proton Model
DQS – Discrete Quantum State
DRR – Double Replacement Reaction
DU – Depleted Uranium
Dy – Dysprosium
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With E

e^– – electron
E – Energy
E – Exa- prefix (10¹⁸)
E1520 – Propylene Glycol
EA – Epoxy Adhesive
EA – Ethyl Acetate
EAA – Ethylene Acrylic Acid
EAM – Embedded Atom Method
EAS – Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution
EB – Electrode Barrier
EBSD – Electron BackScatter Diffraction
EBT – Eriochrome Black T indicator
EC – Electron Capture
EC – Ethyl Carbonate
ECD – Electron Capture Detector
ECH – Enoyl-CoA Hydratase
EDI – Electrical De-Ionization
EDP – Ethylene Diamine Pyrocatehol
EDT – 1,2-Ethane DiThiol
EDTA – Ethylene-Diamine-Tetra-Acetic acid
EE – Ether Extract
EEC – Equilibrium Equivalent Concentration
EEC – Evaporation Emission Control
EEEI – Effective Electron-Electron Interaction
EER – Equilibrium Exchange Rate
EET – Excitation Energy Transfer
EG – Ethylene Glycol
EGE – Ethylene Glycol Ether
EGO – Exhaust Gas Oxygen
EGR – Entropy Gradient Reversal
EGTA – Ethylene Glycol Tetraacetic Acid
EHF – Extremely High Frequency
EIC – Electromagnetically-Induced Chirality
ELF – Extremely Low Frequency
EM – ElectroMagnetic
EM – Elevated Moisture
EMA – Ethylene Methacrylic Acid
EMF – ElectroMotive Force
EN – Ethylene Naphthalate
EOF – ElectroOsmotic Flow
EP – Ethylene Polypropylene
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
EPD – End Point Dilution
EPDM – Ethyl Propyl Diene Monomer
EPH – Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbons
EPI – EPInephrine
Eq – Equivalent
Er – Erbium
ERW – Electrolyzed Reduced Water
Es – Einsteinium
ES – Excited State
ETOH – EThyl Alcohol
Eu – Europium
EV – Exceptional Vacuum
EVA – Ethylene Vinyl Acetate
EVOH – Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With F

f – femto prefix (10^-15)
F – Fluorine
FA – Fully Amorphous
FA – Furnace Annealing
FAC – Free Available Chlorine
FAD – Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide
FADE – Fast Atomic Density Evaluation
FAN – Free Amino Nitrogen
FAS – Fluorescence Actin Staining
FAS – Folic Acid Synthesis
FBC – Fesser, Bishop and Campbell model
FBD – Free Body Diagram
FBR – Fast Breeder Reactor
FC – Face Cell
FC – Face Centered
FC – Fragment Crystallization
FCC – Face Centered Cubic
FCC – Fluid Catalytic Cracking
FCC – Food Chemical Codex
FCCU – Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit
FCHC – Face Centered Hyper-Cubic
FCS – Fellow of the Chemical Society
FCS – Fire Control System
FCS – Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy
FE – Ferredoxin
FE – Free Energy
Fe – Iron
FGC – Flue Gas Conditioning
FIGD – Flow Injection/Gas Diffusion
FIGE – Field Inversion Gel Electrophoresis
FIPS – Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer
Fm – Fermium
FOS – FructoOligoSaccharide
FP – Freezing Point
FPD – Freezing Point Depression
FPLC – Fast Performance Liquid Chromatography
Fr – Francium
FRAP – Fluorine-Resistant Acid Phosphatase
FRS – Fellow of the Royal Society
FS – Free State
FSA – Formamidine Sulphinic Acid
FW – Formula Weight
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With G

G – Gauss
G – Gibbs Free Energy
G – Giga prefix (10⁹)
G – Glycine g – gram
G – Guanosine
Ga – Gallium
Ga – Gauge
GABA – Gamma-AminoButyric Acid
GAD – Glutamate Decarboxylase
GAG – Glycosaminoglycan
GBB – Gas Blow Back
GC – Geiger Counter
GCC – Global Carbon Cycle
GCC – Global Climate Change
GCC – Glucocorticoid
GCC – Guanylyl Cyclase C
GCMS – Gas Chromatographic Mass Spectrometer
Gd – Gadolinium
GDP – Guanosine DiPhosphate
GE – Genetic Engineering
Ge – Germanium
GE – Group Element
Gel – Gelatin
GEM – Genetically Engineered Microorganism
GEP – Good Engineering Practice
GER – Gains Electrons – Reduction
GFM – Gram Formula Mass
GFW – Gram Formula Weight
GHB – Gamma-Hydroxy Butyrate
GI – Galvanized Iron
GI – Glycemic Index
GLA – GaLactosidase Alpha
GLA – Gamma-Linolenic Acid
GLA – Gamma-caroxyglutamic Acid
GLC – Gas Liquid Chromatography
Glc – Glucose
Glk – Gluco*kinase
GM – Geiger-Mueller tube
GMM – Gram Molecular Mass
GP – Gas Phase
GP – Glycerate 3-Phosphate
GP – GlycoProtein
GPC – Gel Permeation Chromatography
GS – Guanosine Synthetase
GT – Greater Than
GTL – Gas To Liquid
GTN – Glyceryl TriNitrate
Gy – Gray (radiation unit)
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With H

H – Enthalpy
h – hecto prefix (10²)
H – Hydrogen
h – Planck’s constant
h – convection heat transfer coefficient
Ha – Hahnium (initial name for dubnium)
HA – Hemagglutinin
HAA – HaloAcetic Acid
HAc – Acetic Acid
HAc – Acetaldehyde
HACCP – Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
HAP – Hazardous Air Pollutant
HAS – Helium Atom Scattering
HAS – HyAluronan Synthase
HAT – Hypoxanthine, Aminopterin, Thymidine
HAZMAT – HAZardous MATerials
Hb – Hemoglobin
HB – Hydrogen Bonded
HBC – Hemoglobin C
HBCD – HexaBromoCycloDodecane
HBD – Hydrogen Bond Donor
HC – HydroCarbon
HCA – HydroxyCitric Acid
HCA – HydroxyCarbonate Apatite
HCB – HexaChloroBenzene
HCFC – HydroChloroFluoroCarbon
HDA – High Density Amorphous ice
HDA – HydroxyDecanoic Acid
HDI – Hexamethylene DiIsocyanate
HE – Hektoen Enteric agar
He – Helium
HE – High Explosive
HEA – Hektoen Enteric Agar
HEK – HEKtoen enteric agar
HEL – High Energy Laser
HEMA – HydroxyEthylMethAcrylate
HEP – Half Equivalence Point
HEPA – High-Efficiency Particulate Air
HEPH – Heavy Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbons
HEU – Highly Enriched Uranium
Hf – Hafnium
HF – Hartree-Fock Method
HF – Heat Flux
HF – High Frequency
HF – Hydrogen Fuel
HFA – HydroFluoroAlkane
HFB – HexaFluoroBenzene
HFC – HydroFluoroCarbon
HFLL – Half-Filled Landau Level
HFP – HexaFluoroPropylene
Hg – Mercury
Hgb – Hemoglobin
HHV – High Heating Value
HIC – Household And Industrial Chemical
HL – Half-Life
HL – Hydrogen Line
HLA – HyaLuronic Acid
HLB – Helium Light Band
HMF – HydroxyMethyl Furfural
HMW – High Molecular Weight
Ho – Holmium
HO – Hydroxyl radical
HOAc – Acetic Acid
hom*o – Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital
HOQS – Highest Occupied Quantum State
HP – High Pressure
hp – horsepower
HPHT – High Pressure/High Temperature
HPLC – High Pressure Liquid Chromatography
HPPT – High Pressure Phase Transformation
HPSV – High Pressure Sodium Vapor
Hr – Hour
HRA – Health Risk Assessment
Hs – Hassium
HS – Hidden States
HSAB – Hard and Soft Acids and Bases
HSV – High Shear Viscosity
HT – Heat Transport
HT – Heat Treated
HT – High Temperature
HTC – Heat Transfer Coefficient
HTGR – High Temperature Gas Reactor
HTH – High Test Hypochlorite
HTS – High Temperature Superconductor
HTST – High Temperature/Short Time
HV – High Viscosity
HV – High Voltage
HVLP – High Volume/Low Pressure
HY – High Yield
Hz – Hertz
HZT – HydroChloroThiazide
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With I

I – electrical current
I – Iodine
I – Isoleucine
IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency
IAQ – Indoor Air Quality
IB – Ion Balance
IC – Ice Crystals
ICE – Initial, Change, Equilibrium
ICE – Internal Combustion Engine
ICP – Inductively Coupled Plasma
ICSC – International Chemical Safety Card
ICSD – Inorganic Crystal Structure Database
ICSN – Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles
IE – Inert Electrolyte
IE – Ionization Energy
IEA – International Energy Agency
IG – Inert Gas
iHOP – information Hyperlinked Over Proteins
i.i.d. – independent and identically distributed
IK – Inverse Kinematics
IMBR – Immersed Membrane BioReactor
IMF – InterMolecular Force
IMS – Industrial Methylated Spirit
In – Indium
InChI – International Chemical Identifier
IOC – InOrganic Contaminant
IOCB – Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry
IOCM – International Organic Chemistry Meeting
IPA – IsoPropyl Alcohol
IQ – Iron Quality
IR – Incident Report
IR – InfraRed
IR – Ionizing Radiation
Ir – Iridium
IRM – Interference Reflection Microscopy
ISI – Initial State Interaction
ISI – In-Situ Interfermometer ISM – Industrial, Scientific, or Medical
IUPAC – International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With J

J – Joule
JAC – Journal of Analytical Chemistry
JAW – Just Add Water
JBC – Journal of Biological Chemistry
JCG – Journal of Crystal Growth
JCS – Journal of the Chemical Society
JOC – Journal of Organic Chemistry
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With K

k – Boltzmann constant
K – Karat
K – Kelvin
k – kilo prefix (10²)
K – Potassium
Ka – Acid dissociation constant
Kd – Dissociation constant
KE – Kinetic Energy
Keq – Equilibrium constant
kg – kilogram
KGA – KetoGlutaric Acid
kHz – kilohertz
km – kilometer
KMT – Kinetic Molecular Theory
Kr – Krypton
KTM – Kinetic Thermal Mixing
kW – kilowatt
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With L

L – azimuthal quantum number
L – Length
L – Leucine
L – Inductance
L – liter
L – luminosity
Li – Lithium
LIBS – Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
LiP – Lithium Polymer battery
Liq – Liquid
LLD – Liquid Level Detection
LLE – Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium
LLNL – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
LMA – Low Moisture Absorption
LME – Liquid Metal Embrittlement
LMH – Liquid Hydrogen
LN – Liquid Nitrogen
ln – natural logarithm
LNG – Liquid Natural Gas
LO – Localized Orbitals
LOD – Loss On Drying
LOQ – Limit Of Quantification
LOX – Liquid Oxygen
LP – Liquid Petroleum
LP – Liquid Propane
LPA – Liquid Pressure Amplifier
LPG – Liquid Petroleum Gas
Lq – Liquid
Lqd – Liquid
Lr – Lawrencium
LSE – Low Surface Energy
LSD – Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
LT – Less Than
Lt – light
LT – Low Temperature
LTE – Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium LTG – Liquid To Gas
LTOEL – Long Term Occupational Exposure Limit
Lu – Lutetium
LUMO – Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital
LV – Low Volatility
LVS – Large Volume Sampler
Lw – Lawrencium (Changed to Lr) LWC – Light Water Content
LWG – Liquid Water in Grams
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With M

M – concentration (Molarity)
m – mass
M – Mega prefix (10⁶)
m – meter
M – Methyl
m – Milli prefix (10^-3)
M – Molar
M – Molecule
M³/H – Cubic Meters per Hour
mA – milliampere
MAC – Mobile Analytical Chemical
MADG – Moisture Activated Dry Granulation
MAM – Methyl Azoxy Methanol
MASER – Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
MAX – MAXimum
mbar – millibar
MBBA – N-(4-MethoxyBenzylidene)-4-ButylAniline
MC – MethylCellulose
MCA – Multi Channel Analyzer
MCL – Maximum Contaminant Level
MCR – MultiComponent Reaction
MCT – Medium Chain Triglyceride
MCT – MonoCarboxylate Transporter
Md – Mendelevium
MDA – MethyleneDiAniline
MDCM – Mechanistically Defined Chemical Mixtures
MDI – Methylene Diphenyl diIsocyanate
MDMA – MethyleneDioxy-MethylAmphetamine
MDQ – Minimum Daily Quantity
me – mass of an electron
ME – Materials Engineering
ME – MEthyl group
MEE – Minimum Explosive Energy
MEG – MonoEthylene Glycol
MEL – MethylEthylLead
MES – MethylEthylSulfate
MeV – Million electronVolt or MegaelectronVolt
MF – Methyl Formate
MF – Micro Fiber
MFG – Molecular Frequency Generator
MFP – Maximum Freezing Point
MFP – Molecular Free Path
MFP – MonoFluoroPhosphate
Mg – Magnesium
mg – milligram
MGA – Modular Gas Analyser
MH – Metal Halide
MH – Methyl Hydroxide
MHz – MegaHertz
MIBK – MethylIsoButylKetone
MIDAS – Molecular Interactions Dynamics And Simulations
MIG – Metal Inert Gas
MIN – MINimum
min – minutes
MIT – MethylIsoThiazolinone
MKS – Meter-Kilogram-Second
MKSA – Meter-Kilogram-Second-Ampere
mL or ml – milliliter
ML – Mono Layer
mm – millimeter
MM – Molar Mass
mmHg – millimeters of mercury
Mn – Manganese
MNT – Molecular NanoTechnology
MO – Molecular Orbital
Mo – Molybdenum
MOAH – Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbon
MOH – Measurement of Hardness
mol – mole
MOL – molecule
MP – Melting Point
MP – Metal Particulate
MPD – 2-Methyl-2,4-PentaneDiol
MPD – m-PhenyleneDiamine
MPH – Miles Per Hour
MPS – Meters Per Second
Mr – Relative Molecular mass
MRT – Mean Radiant Temperature
MS – Mass Spectrometry
ms – millisecond
MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheet
MSG – MonoSodium Glutamate
Mt – Meitnerium
MTBE – Methyl Tert-butyl Ether
MW – MegaWatt
mW – MilliWatt
MW – Molecular Weight
MWCNT – Multi-Walled Carbon NanoTube
MWCO – Molecular Weight CutOff
MWM – Molecular Weight Marker
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With N

n – nano prefix (10^-9)
n – neutron
n⁰ – neutron
n – neutron emission
N – Newton
N – Nitrogen
N – Normal (concentration)
n – number of moles
NA – Avogadro constant
NA – Not Active
NA – Nucleic Acid
Na – Sodium
NAA – N-AcetylasPartate
NAA – Naphtalic Acetic Acid
NAC – Naphthenic Acid Corrosion
NAD+ – Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide
NADH – Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide – Hydrogen (reduced)
NADP – Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate
NAS – National Academy of Science
Nb – Niobium
NBC – Nuclear, Biological, Chemical
NBO – Natural Bond Orbital
NCE – New Chemical Entity
NCEL – New Chemical Exposure Limit
NCR – No Carbon Required
NCW – National Chemistry Week
Nd – Neodymium
Ne – Neon
NE – Non Equilibrium
NE – Nuclear Energy
NG – Natural Gas
NHE – Normalized Hydrogen Electrode
Ni – Nickel
NIH – National Institutes of Health
NiMH – Nickel Metal Halide
NIST – National Institute of Standards and Technology nm – nanometer
NM – Non Metal
NMR – Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
NNK – Nicotine-derived Nitrosamine Ketone
No – Nobelium
NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NORM – Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material
NOS – Nitrous Oxide
NOS – Nitric Oxide Synthase
NOx – Nitrogen Oxides
Np – Neptunium
NR – Not Recorded
NS – Not Significant
NU – Natural Uranium
NV – Non-Volatile
NVC – Non-Volatile Chemical
NVOC – Non–Volatile Organic Chemical
NW – Nuclear Weapon
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With O

O – Oxygen
O3 – Ozone
OA – Oleic Acid
OAA – OxaloAcetic Acid
OAc – Acetoxy functional group
OAM – Orbital Angular Momentum
OB – Oligosaccharide Binding
OC – Organic Carbon
OD – Optical Density
OD – Oxygen Demand
ODC – Ornithine DeCarboxylase
OER – Oxygen Enhancement Ratio
OF – Oxygen Free
OFC – Oxygen Free Copper
OFHC – Oxygen Free High thermal Conductivity
OH – alcohol
OH – hydroxide
OH – hydroxyl functional group
OI – Oxygen Index
OILRIG – Oxygen Is Losing – Reduction Is Gaining
OM – Organic Matter
ON – Oxidation Number
OP – Organophosphate
OQS – Occupied Quantum State
OR – Oxidation-Reduction
ORNL – Oak Ridge National Laboratory
ORP – Oxidation-Reduction Potential
ORR – Oxidation-Reduction Reaction
Os – Osmium
OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OSL – Optically Stimulated Luminescence
OTA – OchraToxin A
OV – Organic Vapor
OVA – Organic Vapor Analyser
OVA – OVAlbumin
OWC – Oil-Water Contact
OX – oxygen
OX – Oxidation
OXA – OXanilic Acid
OXT – OXyTocin
OXY – Oxygen
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With P

P – Peta prefix (10¹⁵)
P – Phosphorus
p – pico prefix (10^-12)
P – Pressure
P – Proton
p⁺ – Proton
PA – Phosphatidic Acid
Pa – Pascal
Pa – Protactinium
PA – Proton Affinity
PA # – PolyAmide polymer number
PAA – PolyAcrylic Acid
PABA – ParaAminoBenzoic Acid
PAC – Pharmaceutically Active Compound
PAC – Polycyclic Aromatic Content
PAC – Powdered Activated Carbon
PAEK – PolyArylEtherKetone
PAGE – PolyAcrylamide Gel Electrophoresis
PAH – Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon
PAI – PolyAmide Imide
PAO – PolyAlphaOlefin
PASA – PolyAmide, Semi-Aromatic
Pb – Lead
PB – PolyButylene
PBB – PolyBrominated Biphenyl
PBD – PolyButaDiene
PBI – PolyBenzImidazole
PBN – PolyButylene Naphthalate
PBS – Phosphate Buffered Saline
PBT – PolyButylene Terephthalate
PC – PolyCarbonate
PC – Pyruvate Carboxylase
PCA – Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid
PCC – Pyridine Chloro Chromate
PCE – Tetrachloroethylene
PCR – Polymerase Chain Reaction
PCV – Pressure Control Valve
Pd – Palladium
PD – Positive Displacement
PD – Potential Difference
PE – PhycoErythrin
PE – Polyethylene
PE – Potential Energy
PEA – PolyEster Amine
PEEK – PolyEtherEtherKetone
PEG – PolyEthylene Glycol
PEK – Poly Ether Ketone
PEL – Permissible Exposure Limit
PERC – Tetrachloroethylene
PES – PolyEtherSulfone
PET – PolyEthylene Terephthalate
PETP – PolyEthyleneTerePhthalate
PEX – Cross-linked PolyEthylene
PFC – Perfluorocarbon
pg – picogram
PG – Propylene Glycol
PG – Prostaglandin
PGA – 3-PhosphoGlyceric Acid
PGA – PolyGlutamic Acid
PGE – Platinum Group Elements
PGM – Platinum Group Metals
pH – measurement of H+ ions in aqueous solution
PH – Phenol functional group
PHA – PolyHydroxyAlkanoate
PHB – PolyHydroxyButyrate
PHC – Petroleum HydroCarbon
PHMB – PolyHexaMethyleneBiguanide
PHT – PHThalate
PI – Phosphate Ion
PI – PolyImide
PIB – PolyIsoButylene
pK – measurement of the dissociation constant
PLA – Polymerized Lactic Acid
PLC – PhosphoLipase-C
PM3 – Parameterized Model number 3
PM10 – Particulates smaller than 10 μm.
PM – Particulate Matter
PM – Photo Multiplier
pm – picometer
PM – Plasma Membrane
PM – Powder Metallurgy
Pm – Promethium
PMA – Phosphom*olybdic Acid
PMA – PolyMethyl Acrylate
PMID – PubMed IDentifier
PMMA – PolyMethylMethAcrylate
PMO – PolyMethylene Oxide
PNPA – PolyNucleotide Phosphorylase A
PNPB – PolyNucleotide Phosphorylase B
Po – Polonium
POC – Polar Organic Contaminant
pOH – measurement of OH- ions in aqueous solution
POL – Petroleum, Oils, and Lubricants
POP – Persistent Organic Pollutant
PORC – Porcelain
PPA -PhenylPropanolAmine
PPA – PolyPhthalAmide
PPB – Parts Per Billion
PPM – Parts Per Million
PPO – PolyPhenylene Oxide
PPS – PolyPhenylene Sulfide
PPT – Parts Per Trillion
PPT – PolyPyrimidine Tract
PPT – Precipitate
Pr – Praseodymium
PRV – Pressure Relief Valve
PSI – Pounds per Square Inch
PSV – Pressure Safety Valve
Pt – Platinum
PTFE – PolyTetraFluoroEthylene
Pu – Plutonium
PU – PolyUrethane
PV – Parity Violation
PV – Pressure Volume
PVC – PolyVinyl Chloride
PVT – Pressure, Volume, Temperature
PXY – Para-XYlene
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With Q

Q – Heat energy
QA – Quinolinic Acid
QC – Quality Control
QCD – Quantum ChromoDynamics
QED – Quantum ElectroDynamics
QED – Quod Erat Demonstradum (Latin for “which was to be demonstrated”)
QM – Quantum Mechanics
QS – Quantum State
QS – Quantum Sufficit (Latin for “as much as needed”)
qt – quart
QW – Quit Whining
QY – Quantum Yield
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With R

°R – degrees Rankine
R – Arginine amino acid
R – Chiral center for R/S system
R – functional group or side chain of atoms variable
R – Resistance
R – Ideal Gas Constant
R – Reactive
R – Redux
R – Röntgen unit
R – Rydberg Constant
R-# – Refrigerant number
Ra – Radium
RA – Retinoic Acid
RACHEL – Remote Acess Chemical Hazards Electronic Library
rad – radian
rad – Radiation – Absorbed Dose
Rad – Radioactive
Rb – Rubidium
RBA – Rutherford Backscattering Analysis
RBD – Refined, Bleached and Deodorized
RCS – Reactive Chemical Species
RDA – Recommended Daily Allowance
RDT – Recombinant DNA Technology
RDX – cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine
RDX – Research Department Explosive
RE – Rare Earth
Re – Rhenium
REACH – Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and restriction of CHemical substances
REE – Rare Earth Element
Ref – Reference
rem – Radiation Equivalent – Man
REM – Rare Earth Metal
REQ – Required
RER – Respiratory Exchange Ratio
RF – Radio Frequency
RF – Resonance Frequency
Rf – Rutherfordium
RFIC – Reagent-Free Ion Chromatography
RFM – Relative Formula Mass
RG – Rare Gas
Rg – Roentgenium
RH – Relative Humidity
Rh – Rhodium
R_H – Rydberg Constant for Hydrogen
RHE – Reversible Hydrogen Electrode
RHIC – Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
RHS – Right Hand Side
RI – Radical Initiator
RIO – Red IronOxide
RL – Reaction Level
RMM – Relative Molar Mass
RMS – Root Mean Square
Rn – Radon
RNA – RiboNucleic Acid
RNS – Reactive Nitrogen Species
RO – Red Oxide
RO – Reverse Osmosis
ROHS – Restriction Of Hazardous Substances
ROS – Reactive Oxygen Species
ROWPU – Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit
RPM – Revolutions Per Minute
RPT – Repeat
RSC – Royal Society of Chemistry
RT – Reverse Transcriptase
RT – Room Temperature
RT – Energy (Rydberg Constant x Temperature)
RTP – Room Temperature and Pressure
RTM – Read The Manual
RTSC – Room Temperature Super Conductor
Ru – Ruthenium
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With S

S – Entropy
s – seconds
S – Sulfur
s – solid
s – spin quantum number
SA – Salicylic Acid
SA – Surface Area
SAC – S-Allyl Cysteine
SAC – Strong Acid Cation
sal – salt (Latin)
SAM – S-Adenosyl Methionine
SAM – Spin Angular Momentum
SAN – Styrene-AcryloNitrile
SAP – Super Absorbent Polymer
SAQ – Soluable AnthraQunone
SAS – Small Angle Scattering
SATP – Standard Ambient Temperature and Pressure
Sb – Antimony
SB – Solvent Based
SBA – Strong Base Anion
SBC – Styrene Butadiene Copolymer
SBR – Sequencing Batch Reactor
SBS – Styrene Butadiene Styrene
Sc – Scandium
SC – Silicon Carbide
SCBA – Specific Chemical and Biologic Agents
SCC – Stress Corrosion Cracking
Sci – Science
SCO – Super Charged Oxygen
SCS – Single Crystal Silicon
SCU – SCoville Units
SCVF – Single Chamber Vacuum Furnace
SCW – Super Critical Water
SCX – Strong Cation eXchanger
SDMS – Scientific Data Management System
SDV – Shut Down Valve
SDW – Spin Density Wave
SE – Sample Error
Se – Selenium
Sec – Seconds
SCN – Thiocyanate
SEP – Separate
SEU – Slightly Enriched Uranium
SF – Safety Factor
SF – Significant Figures
SFC – Supercritical Fluid Chromatography
SFPM – Suspended Fine Particulate Matter
Sg – Seaborgium
SG – Specific Gravity
SG – Spheroidal Graphite
SH – Thiol functional group
SHE – Standard Hydrogen Electrode
SHF – Super High Frequency
SHC – Synthetic HydroCarbon
Si – Silicon
SI units – Système international d’unités (International System of Units)
SL – Sea Level
SL – Short Lived
SLI – Solid-Liquid Interface
SLP – Sea Level Pressure
Sm – Samarium
SM – Semi-Metal
SM – Standard Model
SMILES – Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System
SN – Sodium Nitrate
Sn – Tin
SNAP = S-Nitroso-N-AcetylPenicillamine
SNP – Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism
sp – hybrid orbital between s and p orbitals
SP – Solubility Product
Sp – Special
SP – Starting Point
SPDF – atomic electron orbital names
SQ – squared
Sr – Strontium
SS – Solid Solution
SS – Stainless Steel
SSP – Steady State Plasma
STEL – Short Term Exposure Limit
STP – Standard Temperature and Pressure
STM – Scanning Tunneling Microscope
SUS – SUSpension
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With T

T – Period of a wave
T – Tera prefix (10¹²)
T – Thymine
t – time
T – Transition Metal
T – Tritium
Ta – Tantalum
TaC – Tantalum Carbide
TAC – Teiacetyl Cellulose
TAG – TriAcylGlyceride
tan – tangent
TAN – Total Acid Number
TAS – Total Analysis System
TAS – Total Alkali versus Silica
TAT – TriAcetone TriPeroxide
Tb – Terbium
TBA – TertButylArsine
TBA – 2,4,6-TriBromoAnisole
TBP – True Boiling Point
TBC – 4-TertButylCatechol
TBT – TriButylTin
TBHQ – TertButylHydroQuinone
Tc – Technitium
TC – Temperature Compensated
TC – Temperature Controlled
TC – Theoretical Chemistry
Tc – Critical Temperature
TCA – TauroCholic Acid
TCA – TCA cycle (citric acid cycle)
TCA – TriChloroAcetic Acid
TCE – TriChloroEthane
TCF – ThiolCarbon Fiber
TCM – TetraChloromethane
TCP – Thermal Conversion Process
TCP – Tocopherol
TCP – TriCalcium Phosphate
TCP – TriChloroPhenol
TCP – 1,2,3-TriChloropropane
TCS – Toxic Chemical System
TCT – ToCoTrienol
TCV – Temperature Control Valve
TCVF -Two Chamber Vacuum Furnace
TD – Temperature Displacement
TD – Thermal Deposition
TDA – Thermal Dilatometric Analysis
TDC – Three Degrees Centigrade
TDG – ThymineDNA Glycosylase
TDI – Tolerable Daily Intake
TDI – Toluene DiIsonate
TDO – Tryptophan 2,3-DiOxygenase
TDP – Thermal DePolymerization
TDP – Thymidine DiPhosphate
TDP – Thiamine DiPhosphate
Te – Tellurium
TEA – Terminal Electron Acceptor
TEC – Thermal Electric Cooler
TEL – Tetra Ethyl Lead
TFM – Total Fatty Matter
Th – Thorium
THC – Tetra Hydra Cannabinol
THM – TriHaloMethanes
TI – Thermal Index
Ti – Titanium
TIC – Total Ion Current
TIMS – Thermal Ionization Mass Spectroscopy
TIP – TrisIsopropyl Phenyl
Tl – Thallium
TLC- Thin Layer Chromatography
TLV- Toxic Level Value
Tm – Thulium
TM – Transition Metal
TMD – Theoretical Maximum Density
TMG – TriMethylGlycine
TMMA – TetraMethylMalonAmide
TMP – TriMethylPhosphate
TMS – TriMethylSilane
TNB – TriNitroBenzene
TNT – TriNitroToluene
TNS – Test No Ether
TOBSY – Total ThroughBond Correlation Spectroscopy
TOC – Total Organic Carbon
TOI – Table Of Isotopes
TON – Table Of Nuclides
TOX – Toxic
TP – Triple Point
TP – Transition Point
TPE – ThermoPlastic Elastomer
TPM – Total Particulate Matter
TR – Table Row
TRAP – Tartrate Resistant Acid Phosphatase
TRFM – Time Resolved Fluorescence Microscopy
TRP – Tryptophan
TS – Temperature Sensitive
TSCB – TriSilaCycloButane
TSP – Thermally Stable Polycrystalline
TSP – TriSodium Phosphate
TSPM – Total Suspended Particulate Matter
TSS – Total Soluble Solids
TST – Transitional State Theory
TT – Test Tube
TTC – Triphenyl Tetrazolium Chloride
TTFD – Thiamine TetraHydroFurfurylDisulfide
TTLC – Total Threshold Limit Concentration
TTO – Total Toxic Organics
TTP – Thymine TriPhosphate
TTX – Tetrodotoxin
TU – Thermally Unbound
TWMC – Time Weighted Mean Concentration
TWV – Total Water Vapor
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With U

U – Internal Energy
U – Undetectable
U – Uranium
UAFM – Uranyl Acetate Fluorescence Method
UCK – Universal Chemical Key
UHF – Ultra High Frequency
UG – Undisturbed Gas UHC – Unburned HydroCarbons
UHMW – Ultra High Molecular Weight
UHP – Ultra High Pressure
UHP – Ultra High Purity
UHT – Ultra High Temperature
UHV – Ultra High Vacuum
ULG – Universal Liquid Gas
ULO – Ultra Low Oxygen
ULOQ – Upper Limit Of Quantitation
ULS – Ultra Low Sulfur
ULT – Ultra Low Temperature
UNK – UNKnown
UPW – Ultra Pure Water
UQY – Ultimate Quality and Yield
UUD – UnUnDuium (Element 112, now Cn)
UUH – UnUnHexium (Element 116)
UUP – UnUnPentium (Element 115)
UUQ – UnUnQuadium (Element 114)
UUS – UnUnSeptium (Element 117)
UUO – UnUnOctium (Element 118)
UUU – UnUnUnium (Element 111, now Rg)
UV – UltraViolet
UVA – UltraViolet band A
UV-A – UltravViolet band A
UVB – UltraViolet band B
UV-B – UltraViolet band B
UVF – UtraViolet Filter
UVL – UltraViolet Lamp
UVR – UltraViolet Reactive
UXS – Glucuronic Acid DeCarboxylase
UYQ – Uranium Yield Quantity
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With V

V – Vacuum
V – Valene
V – Vanadium
v – velocity
V – Volt
V – Volume
VA – Volume Analyzer
VA – Nitrogen group
VAC – Vacuum
VAC – Vacuum Assisted Closure
VB – Vacuum Break
VB – Valence Band
VBJ – Vacuum Bell Jar
VBT – Valence Bond Theory
VC – Viscous Coupled
VC – Vapor Cloud
VCE – Vapor Cloud Explosion
VC – Vinyl Chloride
VCM – Vinyl Chloride Monomer
Vd – Volume distribution
VDB – VanDyke Brown test
VDF – Van der Waals force
VDW – Van der Waals radius
VEQ – EQuilibrium Volume
VEQ – EQuivalence point Volume
VF_n – Vertical Face number (n is a number)
VH – Vapor Hazard
VHH – Volatile Halogenated Hydrocarbon
VHI – Vapor Hazard Index
VHN – Vickers Hardness Number
VHP – Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide
VHP – Very High Pressure
VHT – Very High Temperature
VHY – Very High Yield
VI – Viscosity Index
VLD – Vacuum Leak Detector
VLE – Vapor Liquid Equilibrium
VMD – Visual Molecular Dynamics
VO – Vacuum Oven
VOA – Volatile Organic Analysis
VOC – Volatile Organic Compound
VOL – Volume
VP – Vapor Point
VP – Vapor Pressure
VPE – Virtual Potential Energy
VR – Very Rapid
VS – Very Saturated
VS – Volatile Solid
VSC – Volatile Sulfur Compound
VSS – Volatile Suspended Solid
VTC – Variable Temperature Cutoff
VTP – Volume, Temperature, Pressure
VU – Volume Units
VV – Vacuum Vessel
VV – Valence-Valence
VW – Varies Widely
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With W

W – Tungsten
W – Tryptofan
W – Watt
W – wavelength
W – Weight
W – width
W – Work
W⁵ – Which Was What We Wanted
WA – Weak Acid
WAC – Weak Acid Cation
WB – Water Based
WB – Weak Base
WB – Weak Bond
WBA – Weak Base Anion
WC – Water Cosolvent
WCS – Worst Case Scenario
WD – Water Dispersant
WD – Water Displacement
WD – Wet/Dry
WIAP – Water In All Phases
WIN – Water Insoluble Nitrogen
WNA – World Nuclear Association
WO – Weak Oxidizer
WP – White Phosphorus
WPS – Water Phase Salt
WR – Water Repellent
WS – Wash Solution
WS – Water Soluble
WSPI – Water-Soluble Phosphorous, Inorganic
WSPO – Water-Soluble Phosphorous, Organic
WSS – Water Soluble Stabilizer
WST – Weighted Settling Time
WSNZ – Water Soluble Zinc
WV – Water Vapor
WVDA – Water Vapor Diffusion Analysis
WVM – Water Vapor Monitor
WVN – Water Vapor Nitrogen
WVP – Water Vapor Permeability
WVT – Water Vapor Transport
WW – Waste Water
WWIX – Waste Water Ion eXchange
WYOL – Write Your Own Lab
WYOLA – Write Your Own Lab Assignment
WYU – What You Use
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With X

X – Halogen
X – unknown
XAG – Silver Troy Ounce
XAU – Gold Troy Ounce
XAN – XANthine
XDB – eXtra Dense Bonding
Xe – Xenon
XLS – Xenon Light Source
XOD – Xanthine Oxidase
XPD – Palladium Troy Ounce
XPT – Platinum Troy Ounce
XUM – X-ray Ultra-Microscope
XYD – XYliDine
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With Y

Y – Tyrosine
y – yocto prefix (10^-24)
Y – Yotta prefix (10²⁴)
Y – Yttrium
YA – Yield Analysis
Yb – Ytterbium
YBCO – Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide
YAG – Yttrium Aluminum Garnet
YAP – Yield Analysis Pattern
YBG – Your Best Guess
YCC – American Chemical Society Younger Chemists Committee
Yd – Yard
YIC – Yttrium Lithium Fluoride
Yr – Year
YZN – Yellow ZiNc dichromate
YY – Year (2 digit format)
YYYY – Year (4 digit format)
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Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With Z

Z – Atomic Number
Z – azimuth
Z – Impedance
Z – proton number
z – zepto prefix (10^-21)
Z – zero
Z – Zetta prefix (10²¹)
Zn – Zinc
ZB – Zinc Blende
ZC – Zero Calibration
ZC – Zinc Composite
ZCG – Zeolite Crystal Growth
ZCR – Zinc Chromium
ZCS – Zinc Coated Steel
ZDC – Zero Degrees Kelvin
ZE – Zone Electrophoresis
ZEKE – Zero Electron Kinetic Energy
ZG – Zero Gravity
ZINC – Zinc Is Not Copper
ZK – Zero Kelvin
ZO – Zinc Oxide
ZP – Zero Pressure
Zr – Zirconium
ZRE – Zinc Responsive Element
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Note there are many cases in which an abbreviation has more than one meaning. The context of the usage usually indicates the correct interpretation.

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