Glossary of Chemical Terms - C

C

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
calorie
The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.
calorimeter
Any one of a number of devices used for measuring the heat content.
carbocyclic
Being or having an organic ring of carbon atoms.
carbohydrate
An organic compound with the general formula Cx(H2O)y.
carcinogen
A cancer-causing agent.
catalysis
A process in which a catalyst increases the speed of a chemical reaction.
catalyst
A substance which increases the rate of a chemical reaction, but itself remains unchanged at the end of the reaction.
cathode
A negative electrode.It is the electrode from which current leaves an electrolytic cell.
cation
A positively charged ion.
caustic
Corrosive; able to eat away or destroy by chemical action.
chelated
Combined with a metal to form a chelate ring, in which a metal ion is held by coordinate bonds.
chiral
Relating to a molecule that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image.
chlorofluorocarbons
Synthetic compounds containing carbon, chlorine, fluorine, and sometimes hydrogen that are used in refrigerants, propellants, the manufacture of foams, and cleaning solvents.
chlorophyll
The catalytic substance in photosynthesis that contains a Mg2+ ion inthe center of a specialized ring structure known as a porphyrin.Porphyrins have a central portion containing nitrogen atoms that canattach to a metal ion.
chromatography
Any process for separating materials using two phases, one stationary, and one moving.One example: gas chromatography (gas as moving phase, solid as stationary phase).
colloid
A substance consisting of particles dispersed throughout another substance.
combustion
Rapid oxidation (burning) accompanied by the release of heat.
composting
The controlled biological decomposition of organic solid wastes under aerobic (in the presence of oxygen) conditions.Organic materials are transformed into soil enhancers such as humus and mulch.
condensation
The process of vapor molecules forming a liquid.
couples
A half-reaction which explicitly shows electron transfer
covalent bond
Bonds that hold atoms together by the sharing of electrons.
covalent radius
Value assigned to an atom such that the sum of the covalent radii of atoms A and B is (approximately) the A-B bond length.
critical pressure
The lowest pressure required to transform a gas into a liquid at the critical temperature.
critical temperature
One of three parameters (critical pressure and critical molar volume being the other two) defining the point at which random thermal molecular motion become so violent that attractive forces are unable to bring about condensation even when the molecules are squeezed together; a temperature above which a vapor cannot be turned into a liquid no matter how much pressure is applied.

Glossary created by David Shaw (Madison Area Technical College) for The Chemistry Place.

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