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benzene

(Encyclopedia)benzene bĕnˈzēn, bĕnzēnˈ [key], colorless, flammable, toxic liquid with a pleasant aromatic odor. It boils at 80.1℃ and solidifies at 5.5℃. Benzene is a hydrocarbon, with formula C6H6. The s...

jatropha

(Encyclopedia)jatropha jăˈtrəfə [key], any plant of a widely distributed genus (Japtropha) of perennial herbs, shrubs, and trees in the family Euphorbiaceae (spurge family), native to tropical areas of the West...

methane

(Encyclopedia)methane mĕthˈān [key], CH4, colorless, odorless, gaseous saturated hydrocarbon; the simplest alkane. It is less dense than air, melts at −184℃, and boils at −161.4℃. It is combustible and c...

alkyne

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Alkynes alkyne ălˈkīn [key], any of a group of aliphatic hydrocarbons whose molecules contain one or more carbon-carbon triple bonds (see chemical bond). Alkynes with one triple bond have t...

organic chemistry

(Encyclopedia)organic chemistry, branch of chemistry dealing with the compounds of carbon. While it is only the fourteenth most common element on earth, carbon forms by far the greatest number of different compound...

bone black

(Encyclopedia)bone black, solid black material, largely carbon, produced by heating animal bones to high temperatures in the absence of air so as to drive off volatile substances. Finely divided bone black is usefu...

glycolysis

(Encyclopedia)glycolysis glīkŏlˈĭsĭs [key], term given to the metabolic pathway utilized by most microorganisms (yeast and bacteria) and by all “higher” animals (including humans) for the degradation of gl...

alcohol

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Alcohols alcohol, any of a class of organic compounds with the general formula R–OH, where R represents an alkyl group made up of carbon and hydrogen in various proportions and –OH represe...

asphyxia

(Encyclopedia)asphyxia ăsfĭkˈsēə [key], deficiency of oxygen and excess of carbon dioxide in the blood and body tissues. Asphyxia, often referred to as suffocation, usually results from an interruption of brea...

graphite

(Encyclopedia)graphite grăfˈīt [key], an allotropic form of carbon, known also as plumbago and black lead. It is dark gray or black, crystalline (often in the form of slippery scales), greasy, and soft, with a m...