CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

Coulomb’s law    →   Coulombov zakon

Coulomb’s law is the statement that the force F between two electrical charges q₁ and q₂ separated by a distance r is

where ε_o is the permittivity of a vacuum, equal to

cross-linking    →   umrežavanje

Cross-linking is an attachment of two chains of polymer molecules by bridges, composed of either an element, a group, or a compound, that join certain carbon atoms of the chains by primary chemical bonds, as indicated in the schematic diagram

Cross-linking occurs in nature in substances made up of polypeptide chains that are joined by the disulfide bonds of the cysteine residue, as in keratins or insulin. Cross-linking can be artificially effected, either adding a chemical substance (cross-linking agent), or by subjecting the polymer to high-energy radiation. Examples are: vulcanisation of rubber with sulphur, cross-linking of polystyrene with divinylbenzene, or cross-linking of polyethylene by means of high-energy radiation.

Cross-linking has the effect of changing a plastic from thermoplastic to thermosetting. Thus, it also increases strength, heat and electrical resistance, and especially resistance to solvents and other chemicals.

dialysis    →   dijaliza

Dialysis is a method by which large molecules (such as starch or protein) and small molecules (such as glucose or amino acids) may be separated in a solution by selective diffusion through a semipermeable membrane. Through this kind of membrane dissolved particles pass and colloid dimension particles fall behind. For example, if a mixed solution of starch and glucose is placed in a closed container made of a semipermeable substance (such as cellophane), which is then immersed in a beaker of water, the smaller glucose molecules will pass trough the membrane into the water, while the starch molecules remain behind.

impedance    →   impedancija

Impedance is the analogue of the resistance or resistivity when applied to alternating current. That is, it is a measure of a material’s inability to carry the electrical current. In many materials the impedance varies as the frequency of the applied electrical potential changes, due to the properties of the conducting liquid or solid. In electrochemistry, the impedance of the electrodes is also frequency dependent.

insulator    →   izolator

Insulator is a material in which the highest occupied energy band (valence band) is completely filled with electrons, while the next higher band (conduction band) is empty. Solids with an energy gap of 5 eV or more are generally considered as insulators at room temperature. Their conductivity is less than 10^-6 S/m and increases with temperature.

ionic current    →   ionska struja

Ionic current is an electric current with ions as charge carriers

ligand field theory    →   teorija ligandnog polja

Ligand field theory is a description of the structure of crystals containing a transition metal ion surrounded by nonmetallic ions (ligands). It is based on the construction of molecular orbitals involving the d-orbitals of the central metal ion and combinations of atomic orbitals of the ligands.

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.

metalloid    →   polumetal

Metalloid (semimetal) is any of a class of chemical elements intermediate in properties between metals and nonmetals. The classification is not clear cut, but typical metalloids are boron (B), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), and tellurium (Te). They are electrical semiconductors and their oxides are amphoteric.

micelle    →   micele

Micelle is an electrically charged colloidal particle, usually organic in nature, composed of aggregates of large molecules, e.g., in soaps and surfactants. For aqueous solutions, the hydrophilic end of the molecule is on the surface of the micelle, while the hydrophobic end (often a hydrocarbon chain) points toward the centre.