CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

line spectrum    →   linijski spektar

Red-hot gases give line spectrum, i.e. is they emit electromagnetic rays of defined wavelengths. That kind of emission line of spectrum is characteristic of each chemical element.

lipase    →   lipaza

Lipase is an enzyme, secreted by the pancreas and the glands of the small intestine that breaks down fats into glycerol and fatty acids during digestion.

London’s force    →   Londonova sila

London’s force is an intermolecular attractive force that arises from a cooperative oscillation of electron clouds on a collection of molecules at close range.

lower flammable limit    →   donja granica zapaljivosti

Lower flammable limit (LEL) or the lower explosive limit is the minimum concentration of vapour or gas in air above which propagation of flame does not occur on contact with a source of ignition. The mixture is said to be too lean.

fat    →   mast

Fats are esters of glycerol and long chain carboxylic acids. Fats occur widely in plants and animals as a means of storing food energy, having twice the calorific value of carbohydrates. Fats derived from plants and fish generally have a greater proportion of unsaturated fatty acids than those from mammals. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure and composition. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.

Plant oils may be hardened by the addition of hydrogen atoms, converting double bonds to single bonds. This process is known as hydrogenation. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are often present in margarine and other processed foods.

Alkali hydrolysis of fat with sodium hydroxide it gives glycerol and soap (i.e. a mixture of the sodium salts of the fatty acids).

lumen    →   lumen

Lumen (lm) is the SI derived unit of luminous flux. The lumen is the luminous flux emitted in a solid angle of one steradian by a point source having a uniform intensity of one candela (1 lm =1 cd·sr).

maltase    →   maltaza

Maltase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of the disaccharide maltose into two molecules of glucose.

maltose    →   maltoza

Maltose (malt sugar) is a disaccharide which is obtained with hydrolytic decomposition of starch in the presence of enzyme amylase. Maltose is composed of two glucose molecules linked by an α(1→4)-glycosidic linkage. Maltose has an alpha acetal.

mass number    →   maseni broj

Mass number (A) is a characteristic property of a specific isotope of an element, equal to the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

mass ratio    →   maseni omjer

Mass ratio is equal to the proportion of the mass of one (m_A) and the mass of other component (m_B).