| chemistry | | |
| n. (cognition) | 1. chemical science, chemistry | the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions. |
| ~ electronegativity, negativity | (chemistry) the tendency of an atom or radical to attract electrons in the formation of an ionic bond. |
| ~ atomic mass, atomic weight, relative atomic mass | (chemistry) the mass of an atom of a chemical element expressed in atomic mass units. |
| ~ molecular weight, relative molecular mass | (chemistry) the sum of the relative atomic masses of the constituent atoms of a molecule. |
| ~ valence, valency | (chemistry) a property of atoms or radicals; their combining power given in terms of the number of hydrogen atoms (or the equivalent). |
| ~ ph, ph scale | (from potential of Hydrogen) the logarithm of the reciprocal of hydrogen-ion concentration in gram atoms per liter; provides a measure on a scale from 0 to 14 of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution (where 7 is neutral and greater than 7 is more basic and less than 7 is more acidic). |
| ~ dalton's law of partial pressures, law of partial pressures, dalton's law | (chemistry and physics) law stating that the pressure exerted by a mixture of gases equals the sum of the partial pressures of the gases in the mixture; the pressure of a gas in a mixture equals the pressure it would exert if it occupied the same volume alone at the same temperature. |
| ~ distribution law | (chemistry) the total energy in an assembly of molecules is not distributed equally but is distributed around an average value according to a statistical distribution. |
| ~ equilibrium law, law of chemical equilibrium | (chemistry) the principle that (at chemical equilibrium) in a reversible reaction the ratio of the rate of the forward reaction to the rate of the reverse reaction is a constant for that reaction. |
| ~ henry's law | (chemistry) law formulated by the English chemist William Henry; the amount of a gas that will be absorbed by water increases as the gas pressure increases. |
| ~ law of constant proportion, law of definite proportions | (chemistry) law stating that every pure substance always contains the same elements combined in the same proportions by weight. |
| ~ law of equivalent proportions, law of reciprocal proportions | (chemistry) law stating that the proportions in which two elements separately combine with a third element are also the proportions in which they combine together. |
| ~ dalton's law, law of multiple proportions | (chemistry) law stating that when two elements can combine to form more than one compound the amounts of one of them that combines with a fixed amount of the other will exhibit a simple multiple relation. |
| ~ law of mass action | (chemistry) the law that states the following principle: the rate of a chemical reaction is directly proportional to the molecular concentrations of the reacting substances. |
| ~ mendeleev's law, periodic law | (chemistry) the principle that chemical properties of the elements are periodic functions of their atomic numbers. |
| ~ natural science | the sciences involved in the study of the physical world and its phenomena. |
| ~ chemoimmunology, immunochemistry | the field of chemistry concerned with chemical processes in immunology (such as chemical studies of antigens and antibodies). |
| ~ organic chemistry | the chemistry of compounds containing carbon (originally defined as the chemistry of substances produced by living organisms but now extended to substances synthesized artificially). |
| ~ organic chemistry | the chemistry of compounds containing carbon (originally defined as the chemistry of substances produced by living organisms but now extended to substances synthesized artificially). |
| ~ inorganic chemistry | the chemistry of compounds that do not contain hydrocarbon radicals. |
| ~ physical chemistry | the branch of chemistry dealing with the physical properties of chemical substances. |
| ~ electrochemistry | branch of chemistry that deals with the chemical action of electricity and the production of electricity by chemical reactions. |
| ~ femtochemistry | the branch of chemistry that studies elementary (often very fast) chemical reactions as they occur; the experimental methods are often based on the use of femtosecond laser pulses. |
| ~ geochemistry | the chemistry of the earth's crust. |
| ~ photochemistry | branch of chemistry that deals with the chemical action of light. |
| ~ nuclear chemistry, radiochemistry | the chemistry of radioactive substances. |
| ~ surface chemistry | the branch of chemistry that studies processes occurring at interfaces between phases (especially those between liquid and gas). |
| ~ atomist theory, atomistic theory, atomic theory, atomism | (chemistry) any theory in which all matter is composed of tiny discrete finite indivisible indestructible particles.; "the ancient Greek philosophers Democritus and Epicurus held atomic theories of the universe" |
| ~ arrhenius theory of dissociation, theory of dissociation, theory of electrolytic dissociation | (chemistry) theory that describes aqueous solutions in terms of acids (which dissociate to give hydrogen ions) and bases (which dissociate to give hydroxyl ions); the product of an acid and a base is a salt and water. |
| ~ ostwald's theory of indicators, theory of indicators | (chemistry) the theory that all indicators are either weak acids or weak bases in which the color of the ionized form is different from the color before dissociation. |
| ~ thermochemistry | the branch of chemistry that studies the relation between chemical action and the amount of heat absorbed or generated. |
| ~ migration | (chemistry) the nonrandom movement of an atom or radical from one place to another within a molecule. |
| ~ allomerism | (chemistry) variability in chemical composition without variation in crystalline form. |
| ~ sublimation | (chemistry) a change directly from the solid to the gaseous state without becoming liquid. |
| ~ periodic table | (chemistry) a tabular arrangement of the chemical elements according to atomic number as based on the periodic law. |
| ~ chemical chain, chain | (chemistry) a series of linked atoms (generally in an organic molecule). |
| ~ closed chain, ring | (chemistry) a chain of atoms in a molecule that forms a closed loop. |
| ~ long-chain molecule, long chain | (chemistry) a relatively long chain of atoms in a molecule. |
| ~ chemist | a scientist who specializes in chemistry. |
| ~ chemical phenomenon | any natural phenomenon involving chemistry (as changes to atoms or molecules). |
| ~ pleomorphism, polymorphism | (chemistry) the existence of different kinds of crystal of the same chemical compound. |
| ~ dimorphism | (chemistry) the property of certain substances that enables them to exist in two distinct crystalline forms. |
| ~ absorption, soaking up | (chemistry) a process in which one substance permeates another; a fluid permeates or is dissolved by a liquid or solid. |
| ~ association | (chemistry) any process of combination (especially in solution) that depends on relatively weak chemical bonding. |
| ~ chemical action, chemical change, chemical process | (chemistry) any process determined by the atomic and molecular composition and structure of the substances involved. |
| ~ chemical reaction, reaction | (chemistry) a process in which one or more substances are changed into others.; "there was a chemical reaction of the lime with the ground water" |
| ~ chemical decomposition reaction, decomposition reaction, decomposition | (chemistry) separation of a substance into two or more substances that may differ from each other and from the original substance. |
| ~ displacement reaction, displacement | (chemistry) a reaction in which an elementary substance displaces and sets free a constituent element from a compound. |
| ~ dissociation | (chemistry) the temporary or reversible process in which a molecule or ion is broken down into smaller molecules or ions. |
| ~ electrolysis | (chemistry) a chemical decomposition reaction produced by passing an electric current through a solution containing ions. |
| ~ imbibition | (chemistry) the absorption of a liquid by a solid or gel. |
| ~ osmosis | (biology, chemistry) diffusion of molecules through a semipermeable membrane from a place of higher concentration to a place of lower concentration until the concentration on both sides is equal. |
| ~ reverse osmosis | (chemistry) a method of producing pure water; a solvent passes through a semipermeable membrane in a direction opposite to that for natural osmosis when it is subjected to a hydrostatic pressure greater than the osmotic pressure. |
| ~ rectification | (chemistry) the process of refinement or purification of a substance by distillation. |
| ~ acid value | (chemistry) the amount of free acid present in fat as measured by the milligrams of potassium hydroxide needed to neutralize it.; "as the glycerides in fat slowly decompose the acid value increases" |
| ~ equilibrium constant | (chemistry) the ratio of concentrations when equilibrium is reached in a reversible reaction (when the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reaction). |
| ~ abundance | (chemistry) the ratio of the total mass of an element in the earth's crust to the total mass of the earth's crust; expressed as a percentage or in parts per million. |
| ~ stoichiometry | (chemistry) the relation between the quantities of substances that take part in a reaction or form a compound (typically a ratio of whole integers). |
| ~ saturation point | (chemistry) the stage at which a substance will receive no more of another substance in solution or in a vapor. |
| ~ state of matter, state | (chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container).; "the solid state of water is called ice" |
| ~ activity | (chemistry) the capacity of a substance to take part in a chemical reaction.; "catalytic activity" |
| ~ multivalence, multivalency, polyvalence, polyvalency | (chemistry) the state of having a valence greater than two. |
| ~ acceptor | (chemistry) in the formation of a coordinate bond it is the compound to which electrons are donated. |
| ~ mixture | (chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding). |
| ~ atom | (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element. |
| ~ monad | (chemistry) an atom having a valence of one. |
| ~ chemical group, radical, group | (chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule. |
| ~ fullerene | a form of carbon having a large molecule consisting of an empty cage of sixty or more carbon atoms. |
| ~ actinide series | (chemistry) a series of 15 radioactive elements with increasing atomic numbers from actinium to lawrencium. |
| ~ emulsion | (chemistry) a colloid in which both phases are liquids.; "an oil-in-water emulsion" |
| ~ molecule | (physics and chemistry) the simplest structural unit of an element or compound. |
| ~ catalyst, accelerator | (chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected. |
| ~ sensitiser, sensitizer | (chemistry) a substance other than a catalyst that facilitates the start of a catalytic reaction. |
| ~ anticatalyst | (chemistry) a substance that retards a chemical reaction or diminishes the activity of a catalyst. |
| ~ buffer | (chemistry) an ionic compound that resists changes in its pH. |
| ~ chemical compound, compound | (chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight. |
| ~ foryml | (chemistry) the negative univalent acyl radical CHO that occurs in aldehydes. |
| ~ fluorocarbon | a halocarbon in which some hydrogen atoms have been replaced by fluorine; used in refrigerators and aerosols. |
| ~ indicator | (chemistry) a substance that changes color to indicate the presence of some ion or substance; can be used to indicate the completion of a chemical reaction or (in medicine) to test for a particular reaction. |
| ~ convert | change in nature, purpose, or function; undergo a chemical change.; "The substance converts to an acid" |
| ~ deaden | convert (metallic mercury) into a grey powder consisting of minute globules, as by shaking with chalk or fatty oil. |
| ~ alkalinise, alkalinize | make (a substance) alkaline.; "The oxide is alkalized" |
| ~ alkalinise, alkalinize | become alkaline. |
| ~ equilibrate | bring to a chemical stasis or equilibrium. |
| ~ alchemise, alchemize | alter (elements) by alchemy. |
| ~ suspend | cause to be held in suspension in a fluid.; "suspend the particles" |
| ~ resuspend | put back into suspension.; "resuspend particles" |
| ~ scavenge, clean | remove unwanted substances from. |
| ~ include | add as part of something else; put in as part of a set, group, or category.; "We must include this chemical element in the group" |
| ~ butylate | introduce the butyl group into a chemical compound. |
| ~ iodise, iodize | treat with iodine.; "iodize salt" |
| ~ nitrate | treat with nitric acid, so as to change an organic compound into a nitrate.; "nitroglycerin is obtained by nitrating glycerol" |
| ~ strip | remove a constituent from a liquid. |
| ~ decompose, break down, break up | separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts. |
| ~ dissociate | to undergo a reversible or temporary breakdown of a molecule into simpler molecules or atoms.; "acids dissociate to give hydrogen ions" |
| ~ bate | soak in a special solution to soften and remove chemicals used in previous treatments.; "bate hides and skins" |
| ~ attenuate, rarefy | weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance). |
| ~ moonshine | distill (alcohol) illegally; produce moonshine. |
| ~ distill, distil | undergo the process of distillation. |
| ~ distil, distill, extract | extract by the process of distillation.; "distill the essence of this compound" |
| ~ deoxidise, deoxidize, reduce | to remove oxygen from a compound, or cause to react with hydrogen or form a hydride, or to undergo an increase in the number of electrons. |
| ~ crack | break into simpler molecules by means of heat.; "The petroleum cracked" |
| ~ crack | reduce (petroleum) to a simpler compound by cracking. |
| ~ catabolise, catabolize | subject to catabolism. |
| ~ oxidise, oxidate, oxidize | add oxygen to or combine with oxygen. |
| ~ acetify, acidify | turn acidic.; "the solution acetified" |
| ~ alkalify, alkalise, alkalize, basify | turn basic and less acidic.; "the solution alkalized" |
| ~ reform | break up the molecules of.; "reform oil" |
| ~ reform | produce by cracking.; "reform gas" |
| ~ polymerise, polymerize | undergo polymerization. |
| ~ copolymerise, copolymerize | polymerize together.; "the two substances copolymerized" |
| ~ polymerise, polymerize | cause (a compound) to polymerize. |
| ~ catalyse, catalyze | change by catalysis or cause to catalyze. |
| ~ peptise, peptize | disperse in a medium into a colloidal state. |
| ~ resublime | sublime (a compound) once again. |
| ~ calcine | heat a substance so that it oxidizes or reduces. |
| ~ carbonise, carbonize, carburise, carburize | unite with carbon.; "carburize metal" |
| ~ transmute | alter the nature of (elements). |
| ~ conjugate | unite chemically so that the product is easily broken down into the original compounds. |
| ~ admix | mix or blend.; "Hyaline casts were admixed with neutrophils" |
| ~ alloy | make an alloy of. |
| ~ solvate | undergo solvation or convert into a solvate. |
| ~ solvate | cause a solvation in (a substance). |
| ~ react | undergo a chemical reaction; react with another substance under certain conditions.; "The hydrogen and the oxygen react" |
| ~ build | improve the cleansing action of.; "build detergents" |
| ~ saturate | cause (a chemical compound, vapour, solution, magnetic material) to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance. |
| ~ distill, make pure, purify, sublimate | remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation.; "purify the water" |
| ~ isolate | obtain in pure form.; "The chemist managed to isolate the compound" |
| ~ preisolate | isolate beforehand. |
| ~ ammonify | treat with ammonia; cause to undergo ammonification. |
| ~ thoriate | impregnate with thorium oxide to increase thermionic emission. |
| ~ coke | become coke.; "petroleum oils coke after distillation" |
| ~ decarboxylate | remove a carboxyl group from (a chemical compound). |
| ~ decarboxylate | lose a carboxyl group.; "the compound decarboxylated" |
| ~ denitrify | remove nitrogen from.; "Denitrify the soil" |
| ~ detoxicate, detoxify | remove poison from.; "detoxify the soil" |
| ~ esterify | change (a compound) into an ester. |
| ~ etherify | change into an ether.; "etherify an alcohol" |
| ~ acetylate, acetylise, acetylize | introduce an acetyl group into (a chemical compound). |
| ~ acetylate, acetylise, acetylize | receive substitution of an acetyl group.; "the compounds acetylated" |
| ~ carboxylate | treat (a chemical compound) with carboxyl or carboxylic acid. |
| ~ saponify | convert into soap by hydrolizing an ester into an acid and alcohol as a result of treating it with an alkali.; "saponify oils and fats" |
| ~ saponify | become converted into soap by being hydrolized into an acid and alcohol as a result of being treated with an alkali.; "the oil saponified" |
| ~ volatilise, volatilize | make volatile; cause to pass off in a vapor. |
| ~ bind | form a chemical bond with.; "The hydrogen binds the oxygen" |
| ~ ligate | bind chemically.; "The enzyme ligated" |
| ~ desorb | remove from a surface on which it is adsorbed.; "the substance was desorbed" |
| ~ desorb | go away from the surface to which (a substance) is adsorbed. |
| ~ demineralise, demineralize | remove the minerals or salts from.; "demineralize water" |
| ~ isomerise, isomerize | change into an isomer. |
| ~ isomerise, isomerize | cause to change into an isomer. |
| ~ sequester | undergo sequestration by forming a stable compound with an ion.; "The cations were sequestered" |
| ~ transaminate | undergo transfer from one compound to another.; "amino groups can transaminate" |
| ~ fractionate | obtain by a fractional process. |
| ~ fractionate | separate into constituents or fractions containing concentrated constituents. |
| ~ sulfurette, sulphurette | combine with sulfur. |
| ~ absorb | become imbued.; "The liquids, light, and gases absorb" |
| ~ adsorb | accumulate (liquids or gases) on the surface. |
| ~ sorb, take up | take up a liquid or a gas either by adsorption or by absorption. |
| ~ carburet | combine with carbon. |
| ~ formulate | prepare according to a formula. |
| ~ liberate, release, free | release (gas or energy) as a result of a chemical reaction or physical decomposition. |
| ~ glycerolise, glycerolize | place in glycerol. |
| ~ deglycerolise, deglycerolize | remove from glycerol. |
| ~ inhibit | limit, block, or decrease the action or function of.; "inhibit the action of the enzyme"; "inhibit the rate of a chemical reaction" |
| ~ acidic | being or containing an acid; of a solution having an excess of hydrogen atoms (having a pH of less than 7). |
| ~ acid | having the characteristics of an acid.; "an acid reaction" |
| ~ alkalic, alkaline | relating to or containing an alkali; having a pH greater than 7.; "alkaline soils derived from chalk or limestone" |
| ~ basic | of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base. |
| ~ amphiprotic, amphoteric | having characteristics of both an acid and a base and capable of reacting as either. |
| ~ reversible | capable of assuming or producing either of two states.; "a reversible chemical reaction"; "a reversible cell" |
| ~ hydrophobic | lacking affinity for water; tending to repel and not absorb water; tending not to dissolve in or mix with or be wetted by water. |
| ~ hydrophilic | having a strong affinity for water; tending to dissolve in, mix with, or be wetted by water. |
| ~ oleophilic | having a strong affinity for oils rather than water. |
| ~ lipophilic, lipotropic | having an affinity for lipids. |
| ~ critical | at or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction.; "a critical temperature of water is 100 degrees C--its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure"; "critical mass"; "go critical" |
| ~ noncritical | not critical; not at a point of abrupt change. |
| ~ cyclic | of a compound having atoms arranged in a ring structure. |
| ~ open-chain, acyclic | having an open chain structure. |
| ~ saturated | used especially of organic compounds; having all available valence bonds filled.; "saturated fats" |
| ~ unsaturated | used of a compound (especially of carbon) containing atoms sharing more than one valence bond.; "unsaturated fats" |
| ~ free | unconstrained or not chemically bound in a molecule or not fixed and capable of relatively unrestricted motion.; "free expansion"; "free oxygen"; "a free electron" |
| ~ bound | held with another element, substance or material in chemical or physical union. |
| ~ conjugated, conjugate | of an organic compound; containing two or more double bonds each separated from the other by a single bond. |
| ~ conjugated, conjugate | formed by the union of two compounds.; "a conjugated protein" |
| ~ heavy | (physics, chemistry) being or containing an isotope with greater than average atomic mass or weight.; "heavy hydrogen"; "heavy water" |
| ~ light | (physics, chemistry) not having atomic weight greater than average.; "light water is ordinary water" |
| ~ iodinating | combining or causing to combine with iodine.; "the active iodinating species"; "the in vivo iodinating mechanism" |
| ~ de-iodinating | removing iodine from. |
| ~ membered | having members; normally used in chemistry in combination with a number. |
| ~ monovalent, univalent | having a valence of 1. |
| ~ multivalent, polyvalent | having more than one valence, or having a valence of 3 or higher. |
| ~ man-made, semisynthetic, synthetic | not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially.; "man-made fibers"; "synthetic leather" |
| ~ clathrate | designating or relating to a compound in which one component is physically enclosed within the crystal structure of another. |
| ~ organic | relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis.; "hydrocarbons are organic compounds" |
| ~ inorganic | relating or belonging to the class of compounds not having a carbon basis.; "hydrochloric and sulfuric acids are called inorganic substances" |
| ~ technical-grade, technical grade | containing small amounts of other chemicals, hence slightly impure.; "technical-grade sulfuric acid" |
| ~ reactive | participating readily in reactions.; "sodium is a reactive metal"; "free radicals are very reactive" |
| ~ unreactive | (chemistry) not reacting chemically. |
| ~ inactive | (chemistry) not participating in a chemical reaction; chemically inert.; "desired amounts of inactive chlorine" |
| ~ inert, neutral, indifferent | having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive.; "inert matter"; "an indifferent chemical in a reaction" |
| ~ rich | high in mineral content; having a high proportion of fuel to air.; "a rich vein of copper"; "a rich gas mixture" |
| ~ supernatant | of a liquid; floating on the surface above a sediment or precipitate.; "the supernatant fat was skimmed off" |
| ~ volatile | evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.; "volatile oils"; "volatile solvents" |
| ~ hydrated, hydrous | containing combined water (especially water of crystallization as in a hydrate). |
| ~ anhydrous | without water; especially without water of crystallization. |
| ~ alkylic | of or related to an alkyl. |
| ~ allylic | of or pertaining to the allyl radical. |
| ~ aromatic | (chemistry) of or relating to or containing one or more benzene rings.; "an aromatic organic compound" |
| ~ azido | relating to or containing the azido group N3. |
| ~ benzylic | relating to benzyl. |
| ~ cacodylic | of or relating to cacodyl. |
| ~ carbocyclic | having or relating to or characterized by a ring composed of carbon atoms. |
| ~ carbolated | containing or treated with carbolic acid. |
| ~ carbonyl, carbonylic | relating to or containing the carbonyl group. |
| ~ carboxyl, carboxylic | relating to or containing the carboxyl group or carboxyl radical. |
| ~ mercuric, mercurous | of or containing mercury. |
| ~ valent | (chemistry) having valence; usually used in combination. |
| ~ polymorphic, polymorphous | relating to the crystallization of a compound in two or more different forms.; "polymorphous crystallization" |
| ~ ethereal | of or containing or dissolved in ether.; "ethereal solution" |
| ~ bivalent, divalent | having a valence of two or having two valences. |
| ~ pentavalent | having a valence of five. |
| ~ tetravalent | haveing a valence of four. |
| ~ trivalent | having a valence of three. |
| ~ reversibly | in a reversible manner.; "reversibly convertible" |
| n. (substance) | 2. chemistry | the chemical composition and properties of a substance or object.; "the chemistry of soil" |
| ~ substance | the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists.; "DNA is the substance of our genes" |
| n. (linkdef) | 3. alchemy, chemistry, interpersonal chemistry | the way two individuals relate to each other.; "their chemistry was wrong from the beginning -- they hated each other"; "a mysterious alchemy brought them together" |
| ~ social relation | a relation between living organisms (especially between people). |
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