Chemical Compound

The term compound is often used in fields of science other than chemistry, either as an adjective or a verb. For example, medical workers may talk about a compound fracture in referring to a broken bone that has cut through the flesh. Biologists use a compound microscope, one that has more than one lens. Pharmacologists may speak of compounding a drug, that is, putting together the components of which that medication consists. In the case of the last example, a compounded drug is often one that is covered by a patent.