CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

hydrocarbon    →   ugljikovodici

Hydrocarbon is a compound containing only carbon and hydrogen.

inorganic chemistry    →   anorganska kemija

Inorganic chemistry, the branch of chemistry concerned with compounds of elements other than carbon. Certain simple carbon compounds, such as CO, CO₂, CS₂, carbonates CO₃^2- and cyanides CN^-, are usually treated in inorganic chemistry.

crude oil    →   sirova nafta

Crude oil (petroleum) is a fossil fuel formed from plant and animal remains many million of years ago. It is occasionally found in springs or pools but is usually drilled from wells beneath the earth’s surface. Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons with small quantities of other chemicals such as sulphur, nitrogen and oxygen. Crude is the raw material which is refined into petrol, heating oil, jet fuel, propane, petrochemicals, and other products.

Dalton’s atomic theory    →   Daltonova atomska teorija

Dalton’s atomic theory is a theory of chemical combination, first stated by John Dalton in 1803. It involves the following postulates:

1. Elements consist of indivisible small particles (atoms).

2. All atoms of the same element are identical; different elements have different types of atom.

3. Atoms can neither be created nor destroyed.

4. ’Compound elements’ (i.e. compounds) are formed when atoms of different elements join in simple ratios to form ’compound atoms’ (i.e. molecules).

Dalton also proposed symbols for atoms of different elements (later replaced by the present notation using letters).

isomer    →   izomer

Isomers are compounds that have identical molecular formulae but differ in the nature or sequence of bonding of their atoms (structural isomerism) or in the arrangement of their atoms in space (stereoisomerism).

law of definite composition    →   zakon o određenom sastavu

Law of definite composition states that the elements in a given compound are always combined in the same proportion by mass. This law form the basis for the definition of a chemical compound.

lipids    →   lipidi

Lipids are a loosely defined term for substances of biological origin that are soluble in nonpolar solvents. They consist of saponifiable lipids, such as glycerides (fats and oils) and phospholipids, as well as nonsaponifiable lipids, principally steroids.

lipophility    →   lipofilnost

Lipophility is an affinity for fats, oils or other lipids.

Mannich reaction    →   Mannichova reakcija

Mannich reaction is a process in which hydrogen atoms in organic compounds are replaced with a methyl group.

mercaptans    →   merkaptani

Mercaptans are a traditional term abandoned by IUPAC, synonymous with thiols, a sulfur-containing organic compound with the general formula R-SH where R is any radical. This term is still widely used.