CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

stainless steel    →   nehrđajući čelik

Stainless steel is an iron alloy that contains at least 10.5 % chromium and carbon (under 1.5 %).

Zimmermann-Reinhardt’s reagent    →   Zimmermann-Reinhardtov reagens

Zimmermann-Reinhardt’s reagent is a mixture of manganese(II) sulphate, sulphuric acid and phosphorus acid. It is used for preventing oxidation of chloride ion while titrating iron(II) ion with permanganate solution.

cysteine    →   cistein

Cysteine is neutral amino acids with polar side chains. Because of its high reactivity, the thiol group of cysteine has numerous biological functions. It serves as a potent nucleophile and metal ligand (particularly for iron and zinc), but is best known for its ability to form disulfide bonds, which often make an important contribution to the stability of extracellular proteins. Cysteine is a non-essential amino acid, which means that it is biosynthesized in humans.

• Abbreviations: Cys, C
• IUPAC name: 2-amino-3-sulfanylpropanoic acid
• Molecular formula: C₃H₇NO₂S
• Molecular weight: 121.16 g/mol

diatomaceous earth    →   dijatomejska zemlja

Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring siliceous sedimentary mineral compound from microscopic skeletal remains (frustules) of diatoms, unicellular aquatic plants of microscopic size. Their fossilized remains are called diatomite and contains approximately 3000 diatom frustules per cubic millimetre.

Diatomite is relatively inert and has a high absorptive capacity, large surface area, and low bulk density. It consists of approximately 90 % silica, and the remainder consists of compounds such as aluminum and iron oxides. The fine pores in the diatom frustules make diatomite an excellent filtering material for waters, beverages, oils, chemicals, as well as many other products.

Earth’s crust    →   Zemljina kora

Crust is outer layer of the solid earth, above the Mohorovicic discontinuity. Its thickness averages about 35 km on the continents and about 7 km below the ocean floor, and has the approximate chemical composition:

ferromagnetism    →   feromagnetizam

Ferromagnetism is a type of magnetism in which the magnetic moments of atoms in a solid are aligned within domains which can in turn be aligned with each other by a weak magnetic field. The total magnetic moment of a sample of the substance is the vector sum of the magnetic moments of the component domains. In an unmagnetized piece of ferromagnetic material the magnetic moments of the domains themselves are not aligned; when an external field is applied those domains that are aligned with the field increase in size at the expense of the others. Ferromagnetic materials can retain their magnetisation when the external field is removed, as long as the temperature is below a critical value, the Curie temperature. They are characterised by a large positive magnetic susceptibility.

Goldschmidt process    →   Goldschmidtov postupak

Goldschmidt process (thermite process) is a method of extracting metals by reducing the oxide with aluminium powder. Practically all the metallic oxides are reducible by this method, the chief exception being the oxide of magnesium. The thermite process was developed by the German chemist Hans Goldschmidt (1861-1923) in 1893.

Goldschmidt was originally interested in producing very pure metals, but he soon realized the value in welding, a process known as Thermit welding.

Haber process    →   Haberov proces

Haber process is an industrial process for producing ammonia by reaction of nitrogen with hydrogen:

The reaction is reversible and exothermic, so that a high yield of ammonia is favoured by low temperature. However, the rate of reaction would be too slow for equilibrium to be reached at normal temperatures, so an optimum temperature of about 450 °C is used, with a catalyst of iron containing potassium aluminium oxide promoters. The higher the pressure the greater the yield, although there are technical difficulties in using very high pressures. A pressure of about 250 atmospheres is commonly employed. The removal of ammonia from the batch as soon as it is formed ensures that an equilibrium favouring product formation is maintained. The nitrogen is obtained from air. Formerly, the hydrogen was from water gas and the water-gas shift reaction (the Bosch process) but now the raw material (called synthesis gas) is obtained by steam reforming natural gas.

The process is of immense importance for the fixation of nitrogen for fertilisers and explosives. It was developed in 1908 by German chemist Fritz Haber (1868-1934) and was developed for industrial use by Carl Bosch (1874-1940), hence the alternative name Haber-Bosch process.

haematite    →   hematit

Haematite is a mineral of iron(III) oxide Fe₂O₃. It is the most important ore of iron and usually occurs in two main forms: as a massive red kidney-shaped ore and as grey to black metallic crystals known as specular iron ore. Haematite is the major red colouring agent in rocks; the largest deposits are of sedimentary origin. In industry haematite is also used as a polishing agent (jeweller’s rouge) and in paints.

hardness    →   tvrdoća

Hardness is the resistance of a material to deformation of an indenter of specific size and shape under a known load. This definition applies to all types of hardness scales except Mohs scale, which is a based on the concept of scratch hardness and is used chiefly for minerals. The most generally used hardness scales are Brinell (for cast iron), Rockwell (for sheet metal and heat-treated steel), Knoop (for metals).