CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

fusion    →   fuzija

Fusion is nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei are brought together into a larger nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy. It is also used in the production of hydrogen bombs.

decomposition    →   raspadanje

Decomposition occurs when chemical compounds are broken up into simple molecules, and even as far as their original elements. These processes are normally irreversible. An example of decomposition is when ammonium nitrate is heated. This produces nitrous oxide and water which are unable to recombine.

deionised water    →   deionizirana voda

Deionised water is water from which ionic salts have been removed by ion-exchange. It is used for many purposes as an alternative to distilled water.

density    →   gustoća

In the most common usage, density (ρ) is mass density or mass per unit volume. In Si units it is measured in kg m^-3. More commonly, densities are given in kg dm^-3.

More generally, it is the amount of some quantity (mass, charge, energy, etc.) divided by a length, area, or volume.

Relative density is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of some reference substance. For liquids or solids, it is the ratio of the density (usually at 20 °C) to the density of water at 4 °C. This quantity was formerly called specific gravity.

deoxyribonucleic acid    →   dezoksiribonukleinska kiselina

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid with 2-deoxy-D-ribose as the sugar in its nucleotides. DNA contains encoded genetic information, specifically templates for the synthesis of all of an organism’s proteins and enzymes.

DNA was first identified in the 1869 by Swiss chemist Friedrich Miescher (1844-1895). In 1953, American biologist James Dewey Watson (1928-) and English physicist Francis Harry Compton Crick (1916–2004) had discovered that DNA occurs in the cell as a double helix, with two long strands of the molecule wound around each other, and further that the chemical structure of the molecule dictates that adenine (A) always aligns or pairs with thymine (T), and cytosine (C) always pairs with guanine (G). It is this base pairing that allows DNA in a cell to copy itself, and transfer its information to a new cell. The diameter of the helix is 2.0 nm and there is a residue on each chain every 0.34 nm in the z direction. The angle between each residue on the same strand is 36°, so that the structure repeats after 10 residues (3.4 nm) on each strand.

gal    →   gal

Gal is a non-SI unit of acceleration, equal to 1 cm/s². Also called galileo.

gallon    →   galon

Gallon (US) is a unit of volume equal to 3.785412 L.

Gallon (UK, Imperial) is a unit of volume equal to 4.546090 L.

desiccant dryers    →   sredstva za sušenje

Desiccant dryers (air dryers) use nonconsumable chemicals such as silica gel or active alumina, and can remove almost all the moisture from compressed air by adsorbing moisture on its surface. The method of regeneration, the process of removing adsorbed water from the desiccant, is the primary distinguishing feature among the various types of desiccant dryers. There are three ways to regenerate a desiccant: with air, internal or external heaters, or a heat pump.

Dewar flask    →   Dewarova posuda

Dewar flask or vacuum bottle is a container for storing hot or cold substances. It consists of two flasks, one placed inside the other, with a vacuum between. The vacuum prevents the conduction of heat from one flask to the other. For greater efficiency the flasks are silvered to reflect heat. The substance to be kept hot or cold, e.g., liquid air, is contained in the inner flask. The flask is named after British chemist and physicist Sir James Dewar (1842-1923). Dewar invented the Dewar flask in 1892 to aid him in his work with liquid gases. The common thermos bottle is an adaptation of the Dewar flask.

diagenesis    →   dijageneza

Diagenesis is the process that turns sediments into sedimentary rocks. The lithification (literally turning into stone) of the sediments is usually accomplished by a cementing agent. How the weight of the overlying material increases the grains closer together, reducing pore space and eliminating some of the contained water. This water may carry mineral components in solution, and these constituents precipitate as new minerals in the pore spaces. This causes cementation, which will then start to bind the individual particles together. Further compaction and burial may cause recrystallization of the minerals to make the rock even harder.