A compound built by chemical synthesis rather than from a chain of amino acids, typically well under a thousand daltons in mass. Small molecules are generally stable enough to survive the stomach, which is why most tablets and capsules belong to this type. The type exists on this site so that non-peptide compounds sold and discussed alongside peptides are labelled correctly rather than absorbed into the peptide count.

Why it matters here

Type sets the handling expectations: small molecules usually need no reconstituting, are far less fussy about temperature, and their quantity is expressed as milligrams of substance rather than as units drawn from a reconstituted vial.

Also called

• small molecule
• non-peptide
• chemical
• compound

Non-peptide is how the pharmacology literature flags these when they act at a peptide's receptor. Chemical is a lay alias with no technical content.

Compounds carrying this term

None on file yet. This term is in the controlled vocabulary but no compound record currently uses it — which is a statement about our coverage, not about the term.

See also

• Peptide — Compound Type
• Oral — Route of Administration
• Vitamin or Cofactor — Compound Type