CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

dipole moment    →   dipolni moment

Electric dipole moment (μ) is a product of the positive charge and the distance between the charges. Dipole moments are often stated in debyes; The SI unit is the coulomb metre. In a diatomic molecule, such as HCl, the dipole moment is a measure of the polar nature of the bond; i.e. the extent to which the average electron charges are displaced towards one atom (in the case of HCl, the electrons are attracted towards the more electronegative chlorine atom). In a polyatomic molecule, the dipole moment is the vector sum of the dipole moments of the individual bonds. In a symmetrical molecule, such as tetrafluoromethane (CF₄) there is no overall dipole moment, although the individual C-F bonds are polar.

angular momentum    →   moment količine gibanja

Angular momentum is a physical quantity defined for rotating motion (in analogy to momentum that is defined for linear motion). If a body rotates around a specified axis, its angular momentum equals

Where I is the rotational inertia concerning that axis and ω is the angular velocity of the body.

Angular momentum can also be defined for a point-like body concerning a specified origin (in that case, it is not necessary that the point-like body undergoes circular motion). Rotational inertia of the point-like body, concerning that origin equals:

Where m is the mass of the body and r is its distance from the origin.

momentum    →   moment

Momentum (p) is the product of mass and velocity (p = m·v).

Bohr atom    →   Bohrov atom

Bohr atom is a model of the atom that explains emission and absorption of radiation as transitions between stationary electronic states in which the electron orbits the nucleus at a definite distance. The Bohr model violates the Heisenberg uncertainty principle since it postulates definite paths and moment for electrons as they move around the nucleus. Modern theories usually use atomic orbitals to describe the behaviour of electrons in atoms.

Bohr magneton    →   Bohrov magneton

Bohr magneton (μ_B) is the atomic unit of magnetic moment, defined as

where h is Planck’s constant, m_e the electron mass, and e the elementary charge. It is the moment associated with a single electron spin.

collision theory    →   teorija sudara

Collision theory is theory that explains how chemical reactions take place and why rates of reaction alter. For a reaction to occur the reactant particles must collide. Only a certain fraction of the total collisions cause chemical change; these are called successful collisions. The successful collisions have sufficient energy (activation energy) at the moment of impact to break the existing bonds and form new bonds, resulting in the products of the reaction. Increasing the concentration of the reactants and raising the temperature bring about more collisions and therefore more successful collisions, increasing the rate of reaction.

debye    →   debye

Debye (D) is a common non-SI unit of dipole moment, named after the Dutch physical chemist Peter Debye (1884-1966). A charge separation equal to one electron charge placed one Ångstrom unit apart has a dipole moment of 4.8 D. In SI units, 1 D = 3.335 6409 52×10^-29 C m.

electron spin    →   elektronski spin

Electron spin (s) is the quantum number, equal to 1/2, that specifies the intrinsic angular momentum of the electron.

Heisenberg uncertainty principle    →   Heisenbergov princip neodređenosti

Heisenberg uncertainty principle is the principle that it is not possible to know with unlimited accuracy both the position and momentum of a particle. The German physicist Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976) discovered this principle in 1927.

nascent state    →   nascentno stanje

Nascent state is an especially active state of an element in a moment when it is released from a compound during chemical reaction, e.g. nascent hydrogen.