CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

sp3 hybrid orbital    →   sp3 hibridna orbitala

An sp³ hybrid orbital is an orbital formed by the linear combination of one s and three p orbitals of comparable energy (such 2s and 2p orbitals) on a same atom. The four sp³ hybrid orbitals point toward the corners of a regular tetrahedron with the bond angle of 109.5°.

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).

stereoisomer    →   stereoizomer

Stereoisomers are compounds that have identical chemical constitution, but differ as regards the arrangement of the atoms or groups in space. Stereoisomers fall into two broad classes: optical isomers (enantiomers) and geometric isomers (cis-trans).

starch    →   škrob

Starch (C₆H₁₀O5)_x is a polysaccharide used by plants to stockpile glucose molecules. It is the major component of flour, potatoes, rice, beans, corn, and peas. Starch is a mixture of two different polysaccharides: amylose (about 20 %), which is insoluble in cold water, and amylopectin (about 80 %), which is soluble in cold water. Amylose is composed of unbranched chains of D-glucose units joined by α(1→4)-glycosidic linkages. Unlike amylose, which are linear polymers, amylopectin contains α(1→6)-glycoside branches approximately every 25 glucose units.

Starch digestion begins in the mouth via the action of amylase, a digestive enzyme present in saliva. The process is completed in the small intestine by the pancreatic amylase. The final products of starch digestion, glucose molecules, are absorbed into the intestinal bloodstream and transported to the liver. Like most enzymes, glycosidases are highly selective in their action. They hydrolyze only the α-glycoside links in starch and leave the β-glycoside links in cellulose untouched. Starch is important food stuff and is used in adhesives, and sizes, in laundering, pharmacy and medicine.

structural formula    →   strukturna formula

Structural formula is a two dimensional representations of the arrangement of the atoms in molecules. Atoms are represented by their element symbols and covalent bonds are represented by lines. The symbol for carbon is often not drawn.

sugar    →   šećer

Sugar is any of a group of water-soluble carbohydrates of relatively low molecular weight and typically having a sweet taste. The group comprises mainly monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose), disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose), and trisaccharides (raffinose). Many monosaccharides and disaccharides fairly commonly found in nature bear names reflecting the source from which they were first isolated. For example, glucose is also known as grape sugar, lactose as milk sugar, and maltose as malt sugar. In everyday usage, the name is often used to refer specifically to sucrose (table sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar).

thermal expansion    →   toplinsko rastezanje

Thermal expansion is a change in dimensions of a material resulting from a change in temperature. All objects change size with changes in temperature. The change ΔL in any linear dimension L is given by

in which α is the thermal coefficient of linear expansion, L_o is the initial or reference dimension at temperature T_o (reference temperature) and ΔT is change in temperature which causes the change in dimension.

The change ΔV in the volume of a sample of solid or liquid is

Here γ is coefficient of volume expansion, V_o is the volume of the sample at temperature T_o and ΔV is the change in volume over the temperature range ΔT. With isotropic substances, the coefficient of volume expansion can be calculated from the coefficient of linear expansion: γ = 3α.

thermometer    →   termometar

Thermometers are devices for measuring temperature. Linear and volume thermal expansion are macroscopic properties of matter, which can be easily measured, relative to measurements of microscopic properties, on the basis of which, temperature is defined. Thermometers based on thermal expansion are secondary instruments that is, they have to be calibrated in comparison to a standard thermometer. In a thermometer with liquid, mercury or alcohol is placed in a small glass container. If temperature increases, the liquid undergoes volume expansion and rises in a capillary. The level of the raised liquid is the measure of temperature. Mercury thermometers measure temperatures in the temperature range between -39 °C and 300 °C. Alcohol thermometers measure lower temperatures. Bimetal thermometers have a spiral spring, which consists of two metals with different coefficients of linear expansion. When temperature changes, metals undergo different change in length and the consequence twisting of the spring is transferred to a pointer, the deflection of which is the measure of temperature.

threonine    →   treonin

Threonine is neutral amino acids with polar side chains. It differs from serine by having a methyl substituent in place of one of the hydrogens on the β carbon. Threonine is a site of phosphorylation and glycosylation which is important for enzyme regulation and cell signaling. It is an essential amino acid, which means that humans cannot synthesize it, so it must be ingested.

• Abbreviations: Thr, T
• IUPAC name: 2-amino-3-hydroxybutanoic acid
• Molecular formula: C₄H₉NO₃
• Molecular weight: 119.12 g/mol

toxin    →   toksin

Toxins are effective and specific poisons produced by living organisms. They usually consist of an amino acid chain which can vary in molecular weight between a couple of hundred (peptides) and one hundred thousand (proteins). They may also be low-molecular organic compounds. Toxins are produced by numerous organisms, e.g., bacteria, fungi, algae and plants. Many of them are extremely poisonous, with a toxicity that is several orders of magnitude greater than the nerve agents. Botulinum toxin, produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, is the most poisonous substance known.