A chemical compound containing two sulfur atoms bonded together or to other elements, commonly found in proteins like hair and feathers.
From dis- (two) + sulphide, where sulphide comes from sulfur + -ide (Latin suffix for binary compounds), standardized in modern chemistry nomenclature by the mid-20th century.
Disulfide bonds are the secret to why your hair holds a perm or why cysteine amino acids can link together—the strength of these two-sulfur bridges quite literally gives structure to living things!
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