A xenobiotic (Greek, xenos '
foreign'; bios '
life') is a compound that is
foreign to a living organism. Principal xenobiotics include: drugs;
carcinogens; and various compounds that have been introduced into the
environment by artificial means.
Source:
PAC, 1997, 69, 1251
(Glossary of terms used in bioinorganic chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1997))
on page 1303
This definition replaces an earlier definition of xenobiotics.
Cite as:
IUPAC. Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book"). Compiled by
A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford (1997).
XML on-line corrected version: http://goldbook.iupac.org (2006-) created by M. Nic,
J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN 0-9678550-9-8.
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.
