I don't know much at all about real chemistry, the science "dealing with the composition and properties of substances, and the reactions by which substances are produced from or converted into other substances.''

	Cynthia Cooper, who was 19-23 in Phoenix, is back in Houston after retiring in 2000.

My scientific education was, to say the least, not "substantial.''

I sat in classrooms with the Periodic Table of Elements on the wall and heard talk of isotopes and half life and atomic weights. But those were dandelion seeds that couldn't even find the cracks in the concrete sidewalk of my brain.

Alas, I probably don't know a whole lot more about the other "chemistry,'' defined as "interaction between people, especially with respect to emotional or intellectual qualities.''

Or, to get to the point here, how players on a team successfully co-exist. Because you hear it all the time: Talent without chemistry often fails. But ... there's no single way to define what makes up the chemistry of a successful team.

If everybody's alike and gets along, that might make good "chemistry'' for watching movies together but lame "chemistry'' on the basketball court. Sometimes, there are players who couldn't get through a lunch together without wanting to scream, "Oh, shut up,'' and yet successfully mesh on court.

And "chemistry'' might well be what defines this WNBA season as much as anything. You could say that to a large degree for every season, but this one seems especially to have a laboratory setting.

First, there are new substances added, the Connecticut Sun and San Antonio Silver Stars, which are converted from the previous substances of the Orlando Miracle and Utah Starzz. Two other substances, the Portland Fire and Miami Sol, have gone into the "failed experiment'' category.

There is a new periodic table, of sorts, for the league -- ie. the collective-bargaining agreement -- which is hoped to be a stabilizing force. It has given different weight to being a newbie or veteran in pay scale. And by instituting a salary cap, the WNBA has put more of a premium on the ability of general managers to identify the properties of their substances.

Then we have the "chemical mixes'' both new and old of the teams themselves.

In one beaker, you have the Los Angeles Sparks, champions the past two seasons. Their Lisa Leslie-led mix is largely the same, with Jennifer Gillom added in from Phoenix.

The Sparks found all the right combinations the last two years, and the Ancient Mississippian will fit in. Gillom, who'll soon be 39, has a desire for a title that could be a nice "spark'' for a group that already owns two trophies.

The Houston Comets add Cynthia Cooper back in ... or will soon. The Ancient Californian is 40 and nursing a hamstring problem. Obviously, Cooper for four years was a critical element in the Comets' title teams.

The chemistry of those groups was always at little hard to explain. Except to say that, as Cooper commented on her complicated co-existence with Sheryl Swoopes, it worked well enough. When you include the consistent high quality of Tina Thompson and Janeth Arcain, too.

Maybe Van Chancellor felt a little like a mad scientist at times, but he can play that part well. Incidentally, he's got a science/engineering brain on his team now in Ukari Figgs, who was part of one of the great-chemistry teams of recent college history, the 1999 Purdue NCAA champs.

Remaining out West -- once again, you have to expect the league champion is going to come from this conference -- we'll look into coach Maura McHugh's lab in Sacramento. Injuries/illness were the story last season for the Monarchs, who had Edna Campbell out all season battling cancer and Yolanda Griffith and Ticha Penicheiro missing parts of the year with injuries.

All are currently in action. If Sacramento stays intact this season, the Monarchs can soar. They not only got Chantelle Anderson in the regular draft, but also DeMya Walker in the dispersal draft. Walker really began to establish herself as a consistent force last season with Portland.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Ancient New Yorker, Sue Wicks, retired -- much to the chagrin of her teammates, fans and every reporter who ever talked to the Liberty. But Teresa Weatherspoon, Vickie Johnson, Tamika Whitmore, Crystal Robinson, Tari Phillips and Becky Hammon are all back, with Elena Baranova expected to be added in.

Not to understate the Liberty's talent, but if there's a team in the WNBA you could say has won over the years with good chemistry as the key factor, it's New York.

Can the Washington Mystics find a similar chemistry? They've been an organization where the mix hasn't necessarily been good or bad, per se, but just not what it needed to be. Washington took steps to changing that in 2002, but the Mystics also had funks.

Charlotte is a group that hopes some new blood mixes well with the old reliables, Andrea Stinson and Dawn Staley.

For the "good chemistry rising'' spotlight this year, we'll turn to Indiana. There's a young superstar in Tamika Catchings with two Olympians, Natalie Williams and Nikki McCray, and the most recent Olympic coach, Nell Fortner.

In Catchings (Tennessee), Stephanie White (Purdue), Kelly Schumacher (Connecticut) and Niele Ivey (Notre Dame), the Fever have a key member from the 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 NCAA champions.

And Fever rookie guard Coretta Brown should relish the chance to play with dominant low-block post players, something that wasn't the case in her career at North Carolina.

Cleveland, which got the No. 1 draft pick in LaToya Thomas, is a young team with new faces; chemistry will have to develop on the fly with the Rockers. Much the same could be said for Detroit, which got Cheryl Ford in the real draft and Ruth Riley in the dispersal draft.

Connecticut should enjoy an entertaining first season: Enthusiasm will be high and there's a good talent level with experienced players. We're well-versed in the chemistry of the UConn Huskies and their fans; it will be interesting to see how that translates at the pro level.

In the next week, roster cuts will be made, we find out who's really coming back from the European circuits and who isn't, and the season will officially get under way.

You can tune into the various experiments. Don't have to wear your lab goggles, though, unless you just want to.

Mechelle Voepel of the Kansas City Star is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. She can be reached at mvoepel@kcstar.com.