chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, polyvalency (or polyvalence, multivalency) is the property of

molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemi ...

s and larger species, such as

antibodies An antibody (Ab) or immunoglobulin (Ig) is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as bacteria and viruses, including those that caus ...

, medical drugs, and even

nanoparticle A nanoparticle or ultrafine particle is a particle of matter 1 to 100 nanometres (nm) in diameter. The term is sometimes used for larger particles, up to 500 nm, or fibers and tubes that are less than 100 nm in only two directions. At ...

s surface-functionalized with ligands, like spherical nucleic acids, that exhibit more than one supramolecular interaction. For the number of

chemical bonds A chemical bond is the association of atoms or ions to form molecules, crystals, and other structures. The bond may result from the electrostatic force between oppositely charged ions as in ionic bonds or through the sharing of electrons as ...

atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...

s, the term " valence" is used (Fig. 1). For both atoms and larger species, the number of bonds may be specified: divalent species can form two bonds; a trivalent species can form three bonds; and so on. Species that have polyvalency usually show enhanced or cooperative binding compared to their monovalent counterparts. Nanoparticles with multiple

nucleic acid Nucleic acids are large biomolecules that are crucial in all cells and viruses. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomer components: a pentose, 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. The two main classes of nuclei ...

strands on their surfaces (e.g.,

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

) can form multiple bonds with one another by DNA hybridization to form hierarchical assemblies, some of which are highly crystalline in nature.Macfarlane, R. J.; et al. (2011). "Nanoparticle Superlattice Engineering with DNA". Science. 334 (6053): 204–08
doi:10.1126/science.1210493

References

{{Reflist Chemical properties Chemical bonding Dimensionless numbers of chemistry