CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

activated complex    →   aktivirani kompleks

Activated complex is an intermediate structure formed in the conversion of reactants to products. The activated complex is the structure at the maximum energy point along the reaction path; the activation energy is the difference between the energies of the activated complex and the reactants.

antifreeze    →   antifriz

Antifreeze is a substance added to the liquid (usually water) in the cooling systems of internal-combustion engines to lower its freezing point so that it does not solidify at sub-zero temperatures. The commonest antifreeze is ethane- 1.2-diol (ethylene glycol).

atmospheric pressure    →   atmosferski tlak

Atmospheric pressure is the pressure exerted by weight of the air above it at any point on the earth’s surface. At sea level the atmosphere will support a column of mercury about 760 mm high. This decreases with increasing altitude. The standard value for the atmospheric pressure at sea level in SI units is 101 325 Pa.

azeotrope    →   azeotropi

Azeotrope is a mixture of two liquids that boils at constant composition, i.e. the composition of the vapour is the same as that of the liquid. Azeotropes occur because of deviations in Raoult’s law leading to a maximum or minimum in the boiling point - composition diagram. The composition of an azeotrope depends on the pressure.

allotrope    →   alotrop

Allotropes are the elements which exist in two or more different forms in the same physical state. Allotropes generally differ in physical properties and may also differ in chemical activity.

Diamond, graphite and fullerenes are three allotropes of the element carbon. Graphite is a soft, black, slippery substance; by contrast, diamond is one of the hardest substances known. The different properties of the allotropes arise from their chemical structures. Diamonds typically crystallize in the cubic crystal system and consist of tetrahedrally bonded carbon atoms. Graphite crystallizes in the hexagonal system. In the fullerenes, the carbon atoms taking the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube.

In some cases, the allotropes are stable over a temperature range, with a definite transition point at which one changes into the other. For instance, tin has two allotropes: white (metallic) tin stable above 13.2 °C and grey (nonmetallic) tin stable below 13.2 °C.

The term allotropes may also be used to refer to the molecular forms of an element. Ozone is a chemically active triatomic allotrope of the element oxygen.

allotropy    →   alotropija

Allotropy (Gr. allos, other, and tropos, manner) is the phenomenon of an element existing in two or more physical forms in the same physical state. The difference between the forms involves either crystaline structure (white, red and black phosphorus), the number of atoms in the molecule of a gas (diatomic oxygen and triatomic ozone), or the molecular structure of a liquid (liquid helium an helium II).

In some cases, the allotropes are stable over a temperature range, with a definite transition point at which one changes into the other. For instance, tin has two allotropes: white (metallic) tin stable above 13.2 °C and grey (nonmetallic) tin stable below 13.2 °C. This form allotropy is called enantiotropy. Form of allotropy, in which there is no transition temperature at which the two are in equilibrium, is called monotropy.

Allotropy does not apply to the substance existing in different physical states as, for example, when ice melts and changes from solid ice to liquid water.

Allotropy is generally restricted to describing polymorphic behaviour in elements, while polymorphism may refer to any material having multiple crystal structures.

Bravais lattice    →   Bravaisova rešetka

Bravais lattice is a set of points constructed by translating a single point in discrete steps by a set of basis vectors. The French crystallographer Auguste Bravais (1811-1863) established that in three-dimensional space only fourteen different lattices may be constructed. All crystalline materials recognised till now fit in one of these arrangements. The fourteen three-dimensional lattices, classified by crystal system, are shown to the bottom.

Crystal system	Bravais lattices
cubic a=b=c α=β=γ=90°
	simple cubic	body-centered cubic	face-centered cubic
tetragonal a=b≠c α=β=γ=90°
	simple tetragonal	body-centered tetragonal
orthorhombic a≠b≠c α=β=γ=90°
	simple orthorhombic	base-centered orthorhombic	body-centered orthorhombic	face-centered orthorhombic
monoclinic a≠b≠c α=γ=90°≠β
	simple monoclinic	base-centered monoclinic
hexagonal a=b≠c α=β=90° γ=120°
	hexagonal
rhombohedral a=b=c α=β=γ≠90°
	rhombohedral
triclinic a≠b≠c α≠β≠γ≠90°
	triclinic

carbolineum    →   karbolineum

Carbolineum is a mixture of ingredients of pit coal tar with the boiling point above 270 °C, red-brown oil with tar smell. It is a wood preservative.

Celsius    →   Celzijev stupanj

Celsius (°C) is a common but non-SI unit of temperature, defined by assigning temperatures of 0 °C and 100 °C to the freezing and boiling points of water, respectively.

ceramics    →   keramika

Ceramics are an inorganic material of a very high melting point. Ceramics are metal silicates, oxides, nitrides, etc.