CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

dioxin    →   dioksin

Dioxin is a general term that describes a group of hundreds of chemicals that are highly persistent in the environment. The most toxic compound is 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or TCDD. The toxicity of other dioxins and chemicals like PCBs that act like dioxin are measured in relation to TCDD. Dioxin is formed as an unintentional by-product of many industrial processes involving chlorine such as waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing and pulp and paper bleaching. Dioxin was the primary toxic component of Agent Orange, found at Love Canal in Niagara Falls, NY and was the basis for evacuations at Times Beach, MO and Seveso, Italy.

Dioxin is formed by burning chlorine-based chemical compounds with hydrocarbons. The major source of dioxin in the environment comes from waste-burning incinerators of various sorts and also from backyard burn-barrels. Dioxin pollution is also affiliated with paper mills which use chlorine bleaching in their process, with the production of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plastics, and with the production of certain chlorinated chemicals (like many pesticides).

ester    →   ester

Esters are organic compounds formed by a reaction between alcohol and acids. Esters formed from carboxylic acids have the general formula RCOOR’. Triesters, molecules containing three ester groups, occur in nature as oils and fats.

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).

natural resins    →   prirodne smole

Natural resins are organic compounds which are secreted by some plants and insects. They are used as adhesives, and are very often unsoluble in water.

nitro colour    →   nitrobojilo

Nitro colours are artificial organic colours that contain nitro-group. They are used for colouring skin, wool and silk.

ether    →   eter

Ethers are organic compounds with a formula R-O-R, where R is not equal to H. They may be derived from alcohols by elimination of water, but the major method is catalytic hydration of olefins. They are volatile highly flammable compounds; when containing peroxides they can detonate on heating. The term ether is often used synonymously with diethyl ether.

glycoside    →   glikozid

Glycoside is one of a group of organic compounds in which a sugar group is bonded through its anomeric carbon to another group via a glycosidic bond. The sugar group is known as the glycon and the non-sugar group as the aglycon. According to the IUPAC definition, all disaccharides and polysaccharides are glycosides where the aglycone is another sugar.

In the free hemiacetal form, sugars will spontaneously equilibrate between the α and β anomers. However, once the glycosidic bond is formed, the anomeric configuration of the ring is locked as either α or β. Therefore, the alpha and beta glycosides are chemically distinct. They will have different chemical, physical, and biological properties. Many glycosides occur abundantly in plants, especially as flower and fruit pigments.

The term glycoside was later extended to cover not only compounds in which the anomeric hydroxy group is replaced by a group -OR, but also those in which the replacing group is -SR (thioglycosides), -SeR (selenoglycosides), -NR1R2 (N-glycosides), or even -CR1R2R3 (C-glycosides). Thioglycoside and selenoglycoside are legitimate generic terms; however the use of N-glycoside, although widespread in biochemical literature, is improper and not recommended here (glycosylamine is a perfectly acceptable term). C-Glycoside is even less acceptable. All other glycosides are hydrolysable; the C-C bond of C-glycosides is usually not. The use and propagation of names based on C-glycoside terminology is therefore strongly discouraged.

oxime    →   oksim

Oximes are organic compounds of structure R₂C=NOH derived from condensation of aldehydes or ketones with hydroxylamine. Oximes from aldehydes may be called aldoximes; those from ketones may be called ketoximes.

ozonide    →   ozonid

Ozonides are explosive organic compounds, mainly oleaginous foul liquids. They emerge in the process of ozonization from some satiated compounds. They are important for structure determining.

ozonolisys    →   ozonoliza

Ozonolisys is a procedure of adding ozone to an unsaturated organic compound, by which first ozonides emerge, and then degrade.