CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

Frasch proces    →   Fraschov postupak

Frasch proces is a method of obtaining sulphur from underground deposits using a tube consisting of three concentric pipes. Superheated steam is passed down the outer pipe to melt the sulphur, which is forced up through the middle pipe by compressed air fed through the inner tube. The steam in the outer casing keeps the sulphur molten in the pipe. It was named after the German-born American chemist Herman Frasch (1851-1914).

gadolinium    →   gadolinij

Gadolinium was discovered by Jean de Marignac (France) in 1880. Named after the mineral gadolinite, named for J. Gadolin, a Finnish chemist and mineralogist. It is soft, ductile, silvery-white metal. Reacts slowly with water and oxygen. Dissolves in acids. Metal ignites and burns readily. Gadolinium is found with other rare earths in gadolinite and monazite sand. Used in steel alloying agents and the manufacture of electronic components.

siemens    →   simens

Siemens (S) is the SI derived unit of of electrical conductance of a conductor in which a current of one ampere is produced by an electrical potential difference of one volt (S = A·V^-1 = Ω^-1). The unit was named after the German scientist Ernst Werner von Siemens (1816-1892).

sievert    →   sivert

Sievert (Sv) is the SI derived unit of dose equivalent when the absorbed dose of ionising radiation multiplied by the stipulated dimensionless factors is 1 J/kg. It was named after the Swedish physicst Rolf Sievert (1896-1966).

tesla    →   tesla

Tesla (T) is the SI derived unit of magnetic flux density. The tesla is magnetic flux density of a magnetic flux of one weber per square metre (T = Wb/m²). The unit was named after the Croatian scientist Nikola Tesla (1857-1943), equal to V s/m².

gallium    →   galij

Gallium was discovered by Lecoq de Boisbaudran (France) in 1875. The origin of the name comes from the Latin word Gallia meaning France. It is soft, blue-white metal. Stable in air and water. Reacts violently with chlorine and bromine. Gallium is found throughout the crust in minerals like bauxite, germanite and coal. Used in semiconductor production. It us used in making LED’s (light-emitting diodes) and GaAs laser diodes.

galvanic celll    →   galvanski članak

Galvanic cell (voltaic cell) is a simple device with which chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. Galvanic cells consist of two separate compartments called half cells containing electrolyte solutions and electrodes that can be connected in a circuit. Two dissimilar metals (e.g., copper and zinc) are immersed in an electrolyte. If the metals are connected by an external circuit, one metal is reduced (i.e., gains electrons) while the other metal is oxidized (i.e., loses electrons).

In the example above, copper is reduced and zinc is oxidized. The difference in the oxidation potentials of the two metals provides the electric power of the cell.

A voltaic cell can be diagrammed using some simple symbols. In the diagram the electrodes are on the outer side of the diagram and a vertical line (|) is used to separate the electrode from the electrolyte solution found in the compartment. A double vertical line (||) is used to separate the cell compartments and is symbolic of the salt bridge. Usually in a diagram the species oxidized is written to the left of the double slash. Here is an example of the Daniell cell:

The names refer to the 18th-century Italian scientists Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) and Luigi Galvani (1737-1798).

toxic chemical    →   bojni otrov

Toxic chemical means any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation, or permanent harm to humans or animals. This includes all such chemicals, regardless of their origin or of their method of production, and regardless of whether they are produced in facilities, in munitions or elsewhere.

urethane    →   uretan

Urethane is actually a misnomer as applied to polyurethane foam. It is a colorless, crystalline substance used primarily in medicines, pesticides, and fungicides. Urethane is not used in the production of urethane polymers or foams. The urethanes of the plastics industry are so named because the repeating units of their structures resemble the chemical urethane.

van der Waals’ force    →   van der Waalsova sila

Van derWaals’ force is the weak attractive force between two molecules which arises from electric dipole interactions. It can lead to the formation of stable but weakly bound dimer molecules or clusters. They are named after the Dutch physicist Johannes van der Waals (1837-1923).