Glossary of Chemical Terms - E

E

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
efficiency
The ratio of work done or energy developed by a machine or engine, to the energy supplied to it.
electrochemical
Describes any effect concerned with the electrical properties of solutions and the ions in solutions.
electrode
A metal plate or wire for conducting electrons into or out of solutions.
electrolysis
The use of electrical energy to carry out a chemical reaction.
electrolyte
A substance that, when dissolved in water produces a solution that conducts electricity.
electron
A negatively charged subatomic particle, of extremely low mass found in the space outside the nucleus of an atom.
electronegative
Referring to the property of electronegativity.The most electronegative element isfluorine, having an electronegativity of 4.0 on the Pauling scale.Non-metals are more electronegative than metals.
electronegativity
The ability of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons toward itself.
electrophoresis
A method of separating large molecules (such as DNA fragments or proteins) from a mixture of similar molecules. An electric current is passed through a medium containing the mixture, and each kind of molecule travels through the medium at a different rate, depending on its electrical charge and size. Separation is based on these differences.
electrostatic
Having to do with the positive and negative charges on species such as electrons or ions.The important principle is that like charges repel and opposite charges attract.
element
A basic building block of matter that cannot be broken down into a simpler substance by ordinary means.
emollient
A substance that softens or smoothes.
emulsifier
A substance that promotes the dispersion of small globules of one liquid in another liquid when the two liquids will not mix.
enantiomer
One of a pair of non-superimposable, mirror-image stereoisomers.
energy
The ability to do work and transfer heat.
entropy
A measure of the disorder of a system.
enzymatic
Relating to the activity of enzymes, which are biological catalysts that play crucial roles in most biological processes, including metabolism and gene expression.
enzyme
A biological catalyst that will increase the rate of a chemical reaction, but is not consumed in the course of a reaction.These catalysts are at least hundreds of times more efficient than any man-made catalyst used in industrial processes.
epimer
One of two steroisomers with more than one chiral center that differ in stereochemical configuration at only one.
equilibrium
A system in which the rates of the forward and the reverse reaction are equal.
excretion
The process of ridding the body of metabolic waste products.
exergonic process
A process that liberates energy.
exothermic process
A thermodynamic process in which heat flows from a system to the surroundings.
extensive property
A property that depends on the amount of matter present.

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

Information Please® Chemistry Place, ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Contents