A substituent is one or a group of atoms that replaces (one or more) hydrogen atoms on the parent chain of a hydrocarbon, thereby becoming a moiety in the resultant (new) molecule. (In organic chemistry and biochemistry, the terms substituent and functional group, as well as side chain and pendant group, are used almost interchangeably to describe those branches from the parent structure, though certain distinctions are made in polymer chemistry. In polymers, side chains extend from the backbone structure. In proteins, side chains are attached to the alpha carbon atoms of the amino acid backbone.)