CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

cross-linking    →   umrežavanje

Cross-linking is an attachment of two chains of polymer molecules by bridges, composed of either an element, a group, or a compound, that join certain carbon atoms of the chains by primary chemical bonds, as indicated in the schematic diagram

Cross-linking occurs in nature in substances made up of polypeptide chains that are joined by the disulfide bonds of the cysteine residue, as in keratins or insulin. Cross-linking can be artificially effected, either adding a chemical substance (cross-linking agent), or by subjecting the polymer to high-energy radiation. Examples are: vulcanisation of rubber with sulphur, cross-linking of polystyrene with divinylbenzene, or cross-linking of polyethylene by means of high-energy radiation.

Cross-linking has the effect of changing a plastic from thermoplastic to thermosetting. Thus, it also increases strength, heat and electrical resistance, and especially resistance to solvents and other chemicals.

Curie    →   Curie

Maria Sklodowska-Curie (1867-1934) Polish-born French chemist who went to Paris in 1891. She married the physicist Pierre Curie (1859-1906) in 1985 and soon began work on seeking radioactive elements other than uranium in pitchblende (to account for its unexpectedly high radioactivity). By 1898 she had discovered radium and polonium although it took her years to purify them. In 1903 the Curies shared the Nobel Prize for physics with Henri Becquerel, who had discovered radioactivity.

desiccant dryers    →   sredstva za sušenje

Desiccant dryers (air dryers) use nonconsumable chemicals such as silica gel or active alumina, and can remove almost all the moisture from compressed air by adsorbing moisture on its surface. The method of regeneration, the process of removing adsorbed water from the desiccant, is the primary distinguishing feature among the various types of desiccant dryers. There are three ways to regenerate a desiccant: with air, internal or external heaters, or a heat pump.

Dewar flask    →   Dewarova posuda

Dewar flask or vacuum bottle is a container for storing hot or cold substances. It consists of two flasks, one placed inside the other, with a vacuum between. The vacuum prevents the conduction of heat from one flask to the other. For greater efficiency the flasks are silvered to reflect heat. The substance to be kept hot or cold, e.g., liquid air, is contained in the inner flask. The flask is named after British chemist and physicist Sir James Dewar (1842-1923). Dewar invented the Dewar flask in 1892 to aid him in his work with liquid gases. The common thermos bottle is an adaptation of the Dewar flask.

Glauber’s salt    →   Glauberova sol

Glauber’s salt is sodium sulphate decahydrate (Na₂SO₄·10H₂O). Loses water of hydration at 100 °C. Energy storage capacity is more than seven times that of water.

gunpowder    →   barut

Gunpowder (black powder) is a low explosive composed of potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal. Typical proportions are 6:1:1.

dissociation    →   disocijacija

Dissociation is the process by which a chemical combination breaks up into simpler constituents as a result of either added energy (dissociated by heat), or the effect of a solvent on a dissolved polar compound (electrolytic dissociation). It may occur in the gaseous, solid, or liquid state, or in a solution.

An example of dissociation is the reversible reaction of hydrogen iodide at high temperatures

The term dissociation is also applied to ionisation reactions of acids and bases in water. For example

which is often regarded as a straightforward dissociation into ions

electric cell    →   električni članak

Electric cell (battery) is a device that is capable of changing some form of energy, such as chemical, nuclear or radiant energy, into electricity. A solar cell, for example, consists of a semiconductor junction that converts sunlight directly into electricity. A dry cell battery converts chemical energy into electricity.

electrolytes    →   elektroliti

Electrolytes are substances which, when melted or dissolved in water, conduct electric current. By melting or dissolving they are dissociated into electrically charged particles (ions) which are able to conduct electric current. By passing of electric current the transfer of matter occurs. Positively charged particles (cations) travel towards the negative pole (the cathode) and negatively charged particles (the anions) travel towards the positive pole (the anode). Liquid metals, in which the conduction is by free electrons, are not usually regarded as electrolytes. Solid conductors of ions, as in the sodium-sulphur cell, are also known as electrolytes. Depending upon how it conducts electric current, matter can be divided into strong electrolytes, weak electrolytes and nonconductors.

electron    →   elektron

The electron is an elementary particle with a negative electric charge of (1.602 189 2±0.000 004 6)×10^-19 C and a mass of 1/1837 that of a proton, equivalent to (9.109 534±0.000 047)×10^-31 kg.

In 1897 the British physicist Joseph John (J.J.) Thomson (1856-1940) discovered the electron in a series of experiments designed to study the nature of electric discharge in a high-vacuum cathode-ray tube. Thomson interpreted the deflection of the rays by electrically charged plates and magnets as evidence of bodies much smaller than atoms that he calculated as having a very large value for the charge to mass ratio. Later he estimated the value of the charge itself.

Electrons are arranged in from one to seven shells around the nucleus; the maximum number of electrons in each shell is strictly limited by the laws of physics (2n²). The outer shells are not always filled: sodium has two electrons in the first shell (2×1² = 2), eight in the second (2×2² = 8), and only one in the third (2×3² = 18). A single electron in the outer shell may be attracted into an incomplete shell of another element, leaving the original atom with a net positive charge. Valence electrons are those that can be captured by or shared with another atom.

Electrons can be removed from the atoms by heat, light, electric energy, or bombardment with high-energy particles. Decaying radioactive nuclei spontaneously emit free electrons, called β particles.