equivalent weight n EQUIVALENT (1)
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the amount of a substance that combines with or displaces 8.0 g of oxygen (or 1.008 g of hydrogen), usually expressed in grams; for acid-base reactions, one equivalent donates or receives a mole of protons, and the equivalent weight is the ratio of the molecular weight to the number of protons involved in the reaction. For redox reactions, one equivalent donates or receives a mole of electrons, and the equivalent weight is the ratio of the molecular weight to the number of electrons involved in the reaction.Medical dictionary. 2011.