CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

freezing    →   smrzavanje

Freezing is the change of a liquid into a solid state as the temperature decreases. For water, the freezing point is 0 °C (or 273.16 K).

isobar    →   izobara

Isobar is a line connecting points of equal pressure on a graphic representation of a physical system.

Curie temperature    →   Curiejeva temperatura

For a ferromagnetic material, Curie temperature or Curie point (T_C) is the critical temperature above which the material becomes paramagnetic. For iron the Curie point is 760 °C and for nickel 356 °C. It was named after the French physicist Pierre Curie (1859-1906).

electric field    →   električno polje

If a small amount of charge experience a force, there is an electric field in the vicinity. Electric field E is defined in terms of electrostatic force F that would be exerted on positive test charge q_p placed in the field:

SI unit for electric field is N C^-1, or V m^-1.

The electric field due to a point charge q at distance r from it given by:

where ε₀ is permittivity constant, and is ε_o=8.85×10^-12 C² N^-1 m^-2.

ferromagnetism    →   feromagnetizam

Ferromagnetism is a type of magnetism in which the magnetic moments of atoms in a solid are aligned within domains which can in turn be aligned with each other by a weak magnetic field. The total magnetic moment of a sample of the substance is the vector sum of the magnetic moments of the component domains. In an unmagnetized piece of ferromagnetic material the magnetic moments of the domains themselves are not aligned; when an external field is applied those domains that are aligned with the field increase in size at the expense of the others. Ferromagnetic materials can retain their magnetisation when the external field is removed, as long as the temperature is below a critical value, the Curie temperature. They are characterised by a large positive magnetic susceptibility.

isobath    →   izobata

Isobaths are lines connecting points of equal depth in lakes and oceans. The name comes from Greek bathus meaning deep.

isochore    →   izohora

Isochore is a line or surface of constant volume on a graphic representation of a physical system.

isotherm    →   izoterma

Isotherm is a line connecting points of equal temperature on a graphic representation of a physical system.

lattice    →   kristalna rešetka

Crystal lattice is a three-dimensional array of points that embodies the pattern of repetition in a crystalline solid. Don’t mix up atoms with lattice points: lattice points are infinitesimal points in space - atoms are physical objects.

liquid crystal    →   tekući kristal

Liquid crystals or crystalline liquids are a physical state between crystals and melts. The liquid crystalline phase - the so-called mesophase - is formed at the melting point. The most important (usable) mesophases are nematic, cholesteric and smectic phase, having different molecular orientations.