What does sulfonamide mean?
A sulfonamide is an organic chemical compound containing a distinctive functional group in which sulfur is attached to two oxygen atoms and a nitrogen atom. This structure became especially important in medicine because a group of sulfonamide antibiotics introduced effective synthetic treatments for bacterial infections during the twentieth century. Medicines such as sulfanilamide and its derivatives helped establish the practice of using chemical compounds to combat microbial disease, while also raising lasting concerns about resistance and adverse reactions. Today, the term remains common in pharmacology and chemistry, where researchers may describe a medicine, functional group, or synthetic intermediate as a sulfonamide. Outside scientific contexts, it usually refers to the sulfonamide antibiotic class. Understanding the word is useful because it links chemical structure with a historically important group of medicines and remains central to the study of antimicrobial action, drug design, and bacterial resistance.
nounA chemical compound containing a sulfonamide functional group, in which a sulfur atom is bonded to two oxygen atoms and a nitrogen atom. The term also refers collectively to medicines based on this structure.
- A compound containing the sulfonamide functional group, especially a member of the class of antimicrobial medicines that includes sulfanilamide and its derivatives.
"The laboratory tested the new sulfonamide for activity against resistant bacterial infections."
"The sulfonamide was among the first synthetic antibiotics used in clinical medicine."
"Researchers designed a new sulfonamide that reduced the side effects associated with earlier drugs."
The plural commonly denotes the class of drugs or compounds having a sulfonamide group.
"Several sulfonamides are used to treat particular bacterial infections."
One sulfur atom, two oxygens, and one nitrogen create the distinctive functional group at the heart of sulfonamides.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sulfonamide come from?
The name combines English sulfur with the chemical suffix -amide, identifying a compound whose structure joins sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. English sulfur comes through Latin sulphur, while amide is a chemical formation based on ammonia and the traditional suffix -ide. The term belongs to the vocabulary of systematic organic chemistry developed during the early twentieth century.
How sulfonamide is actually used
Chiefly used in chemistry and medicine. Singular can denote either a particular chemical compound or a member of the broader sulfonamide drug class; plural commonly refers to that class collectively.
Easily confused with sulfonamide
A sulfonamide contains sulfur bonded to two oxygens and nitrogen, whereas a sulfone contains sulfur bonded to two oxygens and two carbon groups.