CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

provitamin    →   provitamin

Provitamins are substances in food from which certain vitamins are created in the organism, for example the carotene is the provitamin of vitamin A.

mutarotation    →   mutarotacija

Mutarotation is the change in optical rotation accompanying epimerization. In carbohydrate chemistry this term usually refers to epimerization at the hemiacetal carbon atom. In general α- and β-form are stable solids, but in solution they rapidly equilibrate. For example, D-glucose exists in an equilibrium mixture of 36 % α-D-glucopyranose and 64 % β-D-glucopyranose, with only a tiny fraction in the open-chain form. The equilibration occurs via the ring opening of the cyclic sugar at the anomeric center with the acyclic form as the intermediate. Mutarotation was discovered by French chemist Augustin-Pierre Dubrunfaut (1797-1881) in 1846.

nitrogen    →   dušik

Nitrogen was discovered by Daniel Rutherford (Scotland) in 1772. The origin of the name comes from the Greek words nitron genes meaning nitre and forming and the Latin word nitrum (nitre is a common name for potassium nitrate, KNO₃). It is colourless, odourless, generally inert gas. Minimally reactive at room temperature. A component of many organic and inorganic compounds. Makes up about 78 % of earth’s atmosphere. Nitrogen is obtained from liquid air by fractional distillation. Primarily to produce ammonia and other fertilizers. Also used in making nitric acid, which is used in explosives. Also used in welding and enhanced oil recovery.

substrate    →   supstrat

1. Substrate is a surface upon which an organism grows, sometimes by using chemicals of particles in the material as food

2. Substrate is a substance that is acted upon by an enzyme during a biochemical reaction.

3. Substrate is the material or product that is to be coated (for example, paint or laminate.).

swamp gas    →   močvarni plin

Swamp gas is a gas which develops by rottening of organic matter with no presence of air at all, e.g. at bottom of the swamp. The chief component is methane (CH₄).

oxo compound    →   okso-spoj

Oxo compounds are organic compounds that contain the karbonyl group, C=O. The term thus embraces aldehydes, carboxylic acids, ketones, amides, and esters.

poison    →   otrov

Poisons are substance, which upon contact or being introduced into an organism, impair or prevent normal metabolic processes from taking place, thus altering the normal functioning of organs or tissues.

Poisons are molecules or material that tends to collect on a catalyst surface, blocking access to active sites or destroying their activities.

Poisons are substance that can reduce a nuclear reaction by absorbing neutrons, thereby preventing more fission. If enough poisons are present in a reactor core, the chain reaction will die out.

tar    →   katran

Tar is a brown or black bituminous material, liquid or semi-solid in consistency, gained as a product of dry distillation of natural fuels like wood, or other organic materials.

terminal    →   terminalni

Terminal in chemistry means: the end of a polymer molecule and a point at which electron connections can easily be made or broken.

toxicity    →   toksičnost

The term toxicity is very widely used in the safety context. It is used in two contrasting senses: to denote the capacity to cause harm to a living organism, and to indicate the adverse effects caused by a chemical.