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reagent

/riˈeɪdʒənt/
IPA guide

Other forms: reagents

A reagent is a substance used to create a chemical reaction. Reagents cause transformations.

Chemists love reagents because they cause chemical reactions. For example, a certain type of reagent could tell a chemist if something contains a poison. Like a reactant or a catalyst, a reagent makes something happen. It can help you remember reagents are active if you remember that other agents — like secret agents — are also active and make things happen.

Definitions of reagent
  1. noun
    a chemical agent for use in chemical reactions
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    type of:
    chemical agent
    an agent that produces chemical reactions
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