CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

salinity    →   salinitet

Salinity (S) is a measure of the quantity of dissolved salts in seawater. It is formally defined as the total amount of dissolved solids in seawater in parts per thousand (‰) by weight when all the carbonate has been converted to oxide, the bromide and iodide to chloride, and all organic matter is completely oxidized.

Chlorinity is the oldest of the salinity measures considered and is still a corner-stone in the study of dissolved material in seawater. Based on the principle of constant relative proportions it provides a measure of the total amount of dissolved material in seawater in terms of the concentration of halides. The relationship between chlorinity (Cl) and salinity as set forth in Knudsen’s tables is

In 1962, however, a better expression for the relationship between total dissolved salts and chlorinity was found to be

Practical Salinity (S_P) was introduced as a replacement for Chlorinity. Practical Salinity is is relatively easy to measure using standard conductometers, measurements are more precise and less time consuming than measurements of Chlorinity and accurate measurements can even be made in situ. Practical salinity S_P is defined on the Practical Salinity Scale of 1978 (PSS-78) in terms of the conductivity ratio K₁₅ which is the electrical conductivity of the sample at temperature t₆₈ = 15 °C and pressure equal to one standard atmosphere, divided by the conductivity of a standard potassium chloride (KCl) solution at the same temperature and pressure. The mass fraction of KCl in the standard solution is 0.0324356 (32.4356 g of KCl in 1 kg of solution).

Note that Practical Salinity is a unit-less quantity. Though sometimes convenient, it is technically incorrect to quote Practical Salinity in "psu". For most purposes one can assume that the psu and the ‰, are synonymous.

The global average salinity of ocean waters is about 35 ‰, that is, about 35 g of solid substances are dissolved in 1 kg of seawater.

second-order reactions    →   reakcije drugog reda

Second-order reaction is a reaction with a rate law that is proportional to either the concentration of a reactant squared, or the product of concentrations of two reactants.

For a general unimolecular reaction,

The reaction rate expression for a second order reaction is

If assumed that the concentration of reactant A is [A]_o at t=0 and [A] at time T, the variables in the rate equation and integrate can be separated. The integrated rate law for a second-order reaction can be easily shown to be

silver/silver-chloride electrode    →   srebro/srebrov klorid elektroda

Silver/silver-chloride electrode is by far the most common reference type used today because it is simple, inexpensive, very stable and non-toxic. It is mainly used with saturated potassium chloride electrolyte, but can be used with lower concentrations such as 3.5 mol dm^-3 or 1 mol dm^-3 potassium chloride. Silver/silver-chloride electrode is a referent electrode based on the following halfreaction

solubility    →   topljivost

Solubility is the maximum amount of solute that dissolves in a given quantity of solvent at a specific temperature. Generally, for a solid in a liquid, solubility increases with temperature; for a gas, solubility decreases. Common measures of solubility include the mass of solute per unit mass of solution (mass fraction), mole fraction of solute, molality, molarity, and others.

solubility product constant    →   konstanta produkta topljivosti

Solubility product constant (K_sp) (or the solubility product) is the product of the molar concentrations of the constituent ions, each raised to the power of its stoichiometric coefficient in the equilibrium equation. For instance, if a compound A_aB_b is in equilibrium with its solution

the solubility product is given by

solution composition    →   sastav otopine

Solutions are homogenous mixtures of several components. The component which is found in a greater quantity is called the solvent and the other components are called solutes. Quantitative composition of a solution can be expressed by concentration (amount, mass, volume and number), by fraction (amount, mass, and volume), ratio (amount, mass, and volume) and by molality. Amount, mass, and volume ratio are numerical, nondimensional units and are frequently expressed as percentage (% = 1/100), promile (‰ = 1/1000) or parts per million (ppm = 1/1 000 000). If it is not defined, it is always related to the mass ratio.

spectrophotometer    →   spektrofotometar

Spectrophotometer is an instrument for measuring the amount of light absorbed by a sample.

The absorption of light by a substance in a solution can be described mathematically by the Beer-Lambert law

where A is the absorbance at a given wavelength of light, ε is the molar absorbtivity or extinction coefficient (L mol^-1 cm^-1), unique to each molecule and varying with wavelength, b is the length of light path through the sample (cm), and c is the concentration of the compound in solution (mol L^-1).

standard    →   standard

Standards are materials containing a known concentration of an analyte. They provide a reference to determine unknown concentrations or to calibrate analytical instruments.

The accuracy of an analytical measurement is how close a result comes to the true value. Determining the accuracy of a measurement usually requires calibration of the analytical method with a known standard. This is often done with standards of several concentrations to make a calibration or working curve.

A primary standard is a reagent that is extremely pure, stable, has no waters of hydration, and has a high molecular weight.

A secondary standard is a standard that is prepared in the laboratory for a specific analysis. It is usually standardised against a primary standard.

tear gas    →   suzavac

Tear gases is the common name for substances which, in low concentrations, cause pain in the eyes, flow of tears and difficulty in keeping the eyes open. Tear gases are used mainly in military exercises and in riot control, etc., but have also been used as a method of warfare. Irritating gases have been used in war since ancient times but it was not until after the Second World War that a more systematic search for effective substances was started. Among a long series of substances, three have become of greater importance than the others. These substances are chloroacetophenone (codename CN), orto-chlorobenzylidene-malononitrile (CS) and dibenz(b,f)-1,4-oxazepine (CR).

technetium    →   tehnecij

Technetium was discovered by Carlo Perrier and Emilio Segre (Italy) in 1937. The origin of the name comes from the Greek word technikos meaning artificial. It is silvery-grey metal. Resists oxidation but tarnishes in moist air and burns in high oxygen environment. First synthetically produced element. Radioactive. Technetium is made first by bombarding molybdenum with deuterons (heavy hydrogen) in a cyclotron. Added to iron in quantities as low as 55 part-per-million transforms the iron into a corrosion-resistant alloy.