CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

Rankine cycle    →   Rankineov ciklus

Rankine cycle is a thermodynamic cycle which can be used to calculate the ideal performance of a heat engine that uses a condensable vapour as the working fluid.

coenzyme a    →   koenzim a

Coenzyme A (CoA) is an essential metabolic cofactor synthesized from cysteine, pantothenate (vitamin B5), and ATP. CoA plays important roles in many metabolic pathways, including the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids. One of the main functions of CoA is the carrying and transfer of acyl groups. Acylated derivatives (acetyl-CoA) are critical intermediates in many metabolic reactions.

frequency    →   frekvencija

Frequency (ν) is the number of cycles of a periodic phenomenon divided by time. Hertz (Hz) is the SI derived unit, with a special name, for frequency, equal to s^-1. It was named after the German scientist Heinrich Hertza (1857-1894).

hydrosphere    →   hidrosfera

Hydrosphere (from the Greek for water sphere) is a discontinuous layer of water on, under, and over the Earth's surface. It includes all liquid and frozen surface waters, groundwater held in soil and rock, and atmospheric water vapour. Water continuously circulates between these reservoirs in what is called the hydrologic cycle, which is driven by energy from the Sun.

terminal reaction    →   terminalna reakcija

Terminal reaction is a reaction that ends a cycle or chain of other chemical reactions.

Soxhlet extractor    →   Soxhletov ekstraktor

Soxhlet extractor is a laboratory apparatus designed to extract substances with a low solubility in the extracting solvent. The method described by the German chemist Franz von Soxhlet (1848-1926) in 1879 is the most commonly used example of a semi-continuous method applied to extraction of lipids from foods. In the Soxhlet extractor, the sample soaks in hot solvent that is periodically siphoned off, distilled and returned to the sample. During each cycle, a portion of the non-volatile compound dissolves in the solvent. After many cycles the desired compound is concentrated in the distillation flask. The solvent in the flask is then evaporated and the mass of the remaining lipid is measured.

wavenumber    →   valni broj

Wavenumber is the number of wave cycles per unit distance.

There are unfortunately two different definitions of the wavenumber.

Wavenumber, k, is most frequently defined as

with wavelength λ, phase velocity of wave v_p, and angular frequency ω.

Less frequently it is defined simply as

One must be careful to note which definition is in use. Wavenumbers are used extensively in infrared spectroscopy, and usually have units of cm^-1.