CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

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.

metabolism    →   metabolizam

Metabolism is a sum of all chemical and physiological processes by which the body builds and maintains itself. It is a process of building the body’s molecular structures from nutrients (anabolism) and breaking them down for energy (catabolism).

microchemistry    →   mikrokemija

Microchemistry is a branch of chemistry that concerns isolating, identifying and an analysis of very small quantities of sample (few mg). It uses delicate reactions, special equipment and microscopes.

equilibrium constant    →   konstanta ravnoteže

The equilibrium constant (K) was originally introduced in 1863 by Norwegian chemists C.M. Guldberg and P. Waage using the law of mass action. For a reversible chemical reaction represented by the equation

chemical equilibrium occurs when the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the back reaction, so that the concentrations of products and reactants reach steady-state values.

The equilibrium constant is the ratio of chemical activities of the species A, B, C, and D at equilibrium.

To a certain approximation, the activities can be replaced by concentrations.

For gas reactions, partial pressures are used rather than concentrations

The units of K_p and K_c depend on the numbers of molecules appearing in the stoichiometric equation (a, b, c, and d).

The value equilibrium constant depends on the temperature. If the forward reaction is exothermic, the equilibrium constant decreases as the temperature rises. The equilibrium constant shows the position of equilibrium. A low value of K indicates that [C] and [D] are small compared to [A] and [B]; i.e. that the back reaction predominates.

The equilibrium constant is related to Δ_rG°, the standard Gibbs free energy change in the reaction, by

mineral acid    →   mineralna kiselina

Mineral acid is an acid made from minerals by chemical reaction, e.g. hydrochloric acid is produced from sodium chloride and sulphuric acid is made from sulphur.

mineralization    →   mineralizacija

Mineralization is a process in which organic compounds (e.g. dead plant or animal material) are converted to inorganic compounds (e.g. nitrate, carbon dioxide).

molecule    →   molekula

Molecule is the smallest part of a chemical compound that can take part in a chemical reaction. The atoms of a molecule are held together by chemical bonds.

nascent state    →   nascentno stanje

Nascent state is an especially active state of an element in a moment when it is released from a compound during chemical reaction, e.g. nascent hydrogen.

Faraday’s laws of electrolysis    →   Faradayevi zakoni elektrolize

Faraday’s laws of electrolysis are two laws found by British chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) in his experiments on electrolysis:

1. The quantity of matter extracted on the electrode is proportional to the quantity of charge (Q = I·t) which has flown in electrolysis time.

where z = number of electrons changed in reaction and F = Faraday’s constant which equals 96 487 C mol^-1.

2. The masses of the elements liberated by the same quantity of electricity are directly proportional to their chemical equivalents.

96 487 C will discharge 1 mol Ag and 1/2 mol Cu. The relevant half reactions are: