CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

Pauling scale    →   Paulingova skala

Pauling scale is a numerical scale of electronegativities based on bond-energy calculations for different elements joined by covalent bonds. Electronegativity is the power of an atom when in a molecule to attract eletrons to itself. Fluorine is the most electronegative element with a Pauling electronegativity value of 4.

phenols    →   fenoli

Phenols are compounds having one or more hydroxy groups attached to benzene or other arene ring.

free radical    →   slobodni radikal

Free radical is a molecular fragment having one or more unpaired electrons, usually short-lived and highly reactive. They can be produced by photolysis or pyrolysis in which a bond is broken without forming ions. In formulas, a free radical is conventionally indicated by a dot (·CH₃, ·SnH₃, ·Cl). Free radicals are known to be formed by ionising radiation and thus play a part in deleterious degradation effects that occur in irradiated tissue. They also act as initiators or intermediates in oxidation, combustion, photolysis, and polymerisation.

fructose    →   fruktoza

Fructose (fruit sugar) is a ketohexose (a six-carbon ketonic sugar), which occurs in sweet fruits and honey. Glucose and fructose have the same molecular formula, C₆H₁₂O₆, but have different structures. Pure, dry fructose is a very sweet, white, odorless, crystalline solid. Fructose is one of the sweetest of all sugars and is combined with glucose to make sucrose, or common table sugar. An older common name for fructose is levulose, after its levorotatory property of rotating plane polarized light to the left (in contrast to glucose which is dextrorotatory). The polysaccharide inulin is a polymer of fructose.

polyvalent molecule    →   polivalentna molekula

Polyvalent molecule is a molecule which having multiple binding sites. The antibodies of our immune system are one example.

primary alcohol    →   primarni alkohol

Primary alcohols are alcohols where the hydroxyl group is attached to a primary carbon atom. Thus, it has the general structure, RCH₂OH, where R is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group.

primary amine    →   primarni amin

Primary amine is an amine on which there is only one alkyl group bonded, it is a weak base, and has a fish odour.

radical    →   radikal

Radical is a reaction intermediate where a bond is broken and the two parts of the molecule exist carrying a single unshared electron. The radicals are normally destroyed quickly by recombination or they break into another radical and a stable molecule.

secondary alcohol    →   sekundarni alkohol

Secondary alcohol is one in which the hydroxyl group (-OH) is attached to a secondary carbon atom (i.e. a carbon atom which has one hydrogen atom attached to it).

Gauss’ law for electrostatics    →   Gaussov zakon za elektrostatiku

Gauss’ law describes the relation between charge and electric field in static situations, so it is equivalent to Coulomb’s law, which can be derived from Gauss’ law. Gauss’ law states that the net flux of electric field, Φ, through an imaginary closed surface, S, - a Gaussian surface - is equal to the net charge, q, inside that closed surface:

where electric flux Φ through Gaussian surface is given by:

ε₀ is the permittivity constant and dS is a surface element.