CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

Bessemer, Henry    →   Bessemer, Henry

Sir Henry Bessemer (1813-1898) is the British engineer who first introduced a process for converting pig iron from a blast furnace into steel

henry    →   henri

Henry (H) is the SI derived unit of inductance equal to the inductance of a closed circuit in which an e.m.f. of one volt is produced when the electric current in the circuit varies uniformly at a rate of one ampere per second (H = V·s/A). The unit was named after the American physicst Joseph Henry (1797-1878).

Henry’s law    →   Henryjev zakon

Henry’s law was discovered in 1801 by the British chemist William Henry (1775-1836). At a constant temperature the mass of gas dissolved in a liquid at equilibrium is proportional to the partial pressure of the gas. It applies only to gases that do not react with the solvent.

where p_i is the partial pressure of component i above the solution, x_i is its mole fraction in the solution, and K_x is the Henry’s law constant (a characteristic of the given gas and solvent, as well as the temperature).

becquerel    →   bekerel

Becquerel (Bq) is the SI derived unit, with a special name, for radioactivity, equal to s^-1. It describes a radioactivity of an amount of radionuclide decaying at the rate, on average, of one spontaneous nuclear transition per second. The unit was named after the French scientist Antoine Henri Becquerel (1852-1908) (disintegrations per unit time), equal to s^-1.

Bragg angle    →   Braggov kut

Bragg angle (Θ) is the angle between an incident X-ray beam and a set of crystal planes for which the secondary radiation displays maximum intensity as a result of constructive interference. British physicist Sir William Henry Bragg and his son Sir William Lawrence Bragg developed a simple relation for scattering angles, now call Bragg’s law.

which relates the angle θ between a crystal plane and the diffracted X-ray beam, the wavelength λ of the x-rays, the crystal plane spacing d, and the diffraction order n (any integer).

The diffraction experiment as presently considered is intended to provide quantitative information on the lattice constant and shape characteristics of the unit cell.

Curie    →   Curie

Maria Sklodowska-Curie (1867-1934) Polish-born French chemist who went to Paris in 1891. She married the physicist Pierre Curie (1859-1906) in 1985 and soon began work on seeking radioactive elements other than uranium in pitchblende (to account for its unexpectedly high radioactivity). By 1898 she had discovered radium and polonium although it took her years to purify them. In 1903 the Curies shared the Nobel Prize for physics with Henri Becquerel, who had discovered radioactivity.

Le Chatelier’s principle    →   Le Chatelierov princip

The idea that a system at equilibrium will respond to a stress placed upon it in such a manner as to partially offset that stress. The principle was first stated in 1888 by the French physical chemist Henri Le Chatelier (1850-1936).

fluorine    →   fluor

Fluorine was discovered by Henri Moissan (France) in 1886. The origin of the name comes from the Latin word fluere meaning to flow. It is pale yellow to greenish gas, with an irritating pungent odour. Extremely reactive, flammable gas. Reacts violently with many materials. Toxic by inhalation or ingestion. Does not occur uncombined in nature. Fluorine is found in the minerals fluorite (CaF₂) and cryolite (Na₃AlF₆). Electrolysis of hydrofluoric acid (HF) or potassium acid fluoride (KHF₂) is the only practical method of commercial production. Used in refrigerants and other fluorocarbons. Also in toothpaste as sodium fluoride (NaF).

hydrogen    →   vodik

Hydrogen was discovered by Sir Henry Cavendish (England) in 1766. The origin of the name comes from the Greek words hydro and genes meaning water and generate. It is colourless, odourless gas, burns and forms explosive mixtures in air. Reacts violently with oxidants. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. Commercial quantities of hydrogen are produced by reacting superheated steam with methane or carbon. In lab work from reaction of metals with acid solutions or electrolysis. Most hydrogen is used in the production of ammonia and in metal refining. Also used as fuel in rockets. Its two heavier isotopes (deuterium and tritium) used respectively for nuclear fusion.

Hesse’s law    →   Hessov zakon

Hesse’s law says that reaction heat of some chemical change does not depend on the way in which the reaction is conducted, but only on starting and ending system state. Hesse’s law is also known as the law of constant heat summation. Hesse’s law is also known as the law of constant heat summation. The law was first put forward in 1840 by the Swiss-born Russian chemist Germain Henri Hess (1802-1850).

Hesse’s law can be used to obtain thermodynamic data that cannot be measured directly. For example, it is very difficult to control the oxidation of graphite to give pure CO. However, enthalpy for the oxidation of graphite to CO₂ can easily be measured. So can the enthalpy of oxidation of CO to CO₂. The application of Hess’s law enables us to estimate the enthalpy of formation of CO.

The equation shows the standard enthalpy of formation of CO to be -110 kJ/mol.