Dielectric constant or permittivity (ε) is an index of the ability of a substance to attenuate the transmission of an electrostatic force from one charged body to another. The lower the value, the greater the attenuation. The standard measurement apparatus utilises a vacuum whose dielectric constant is 1. In reference to this, various materials interposed between the charged terminal have the following value at 20 °C:
vacuum | 1 |
air | 1.00058 |
glass | 3 |
benzene | 2.3 |
acetic acid | 6.2 |
ammonia | 15.5 |
ethanol | 25 |
glycerol | 56 |
water | 81 |
The exceptionally high value for water accounts for its unique behaviour as a solvent and in electrolytic solutions. Dielectric constant values decrease as the temperature rises.
Dipole is a pair of separated opposite electric charges. Electric dipole is an assemblage of atoms or subatomic particles having equal electric charges of opposite sign separated by a finite distance. In the case of HCl, the electrons are attracted towards the more electronegative chlorine atom.
Dipole molecules are created when mutual electronic pair at covalent bond is asymmetrical. If different atoms are bonded by a covalent bond, which can have different electron affinity, then the the atom with greater electron affinity will attract the electron pairs more strongly. In this way an asymmetrical distribution of negative charge appears in a molecule, so one part of the molecule becomes relatively negatively (the one closer to the electron pair) and the other becomes relatively positively charged.
Ionic conductor is a material that conducts electricity with ions as charge carriers.
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
Dry cell or Leclanche cell is a primary cell having a zinc anode, a carbon (graphite) cathode surrounded by manganese dioxide, and a paste containing ammonium chloride as electrolyte. The electromotive force (emf) produced by a dry cell is 1.5 V. Dry cell is not reversible and therefore have a limited operating life. It is invented by the French engineer Georges Leclanché (1839.-1882.) in 1866.
Ionisation energy is the minimum energy required to remove an electron from an isolated atom or molecule (in its vibrational ground state) in the gaseous phase.
Irreversible galvanic cell is a chemical source of direct current, in which reactions that take place on the electrodes are irreversible.
Generalic, Eni. "Valentni elektron." Croatian-English Chemistry Dictionary & Glossary. 29 June 2022. KTF-Split. {Date of access}. <https://glossary.periodni.com>.
Glossary
Periodic Table