Structural analog

Have you ever played with lego blocks before? You know how you can make different things out of different shapes and sizes of lego blocks?

Well, in science, there are things called molecules. These are made up of tiny building blocks called atoms. And just like how you can make different things with lego blocks, scientists can make different molecules by putting different atoms together in different ways.

Now, sometimes scientists make new molecules by changing a few atoms in an existing molecule. They might swap out one atom for another, or add or take away a few atoms. When they do this, they can end up with a new molecule that looks similar to the original one, but with some slight differences.

This new molecule is called a structural analog. It's like a cousin of the original molecule, but with some changes. Sometimes, these changes can make the new molecule do different things in the body. It might work better or worse than the original molecule, or it might have different side effects.

So, to sum it up: a structural analog is a new molecule that's made by changing a few atoms in an existing molecule. It's like a cousin of the original molecule, but with some differences. Scientists make structural analogs to try to improve how molecules work in the body.