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Grateful Dead, The

(Encyclopedia)Grateful Dead, The, American rock music group formed in 1965 by guitarists Jerry Garcia, 1942–95, and Bob Weir, 1947–, harmonica player Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, 1945–73, bassist Phil Lesh, 194...

lime, in botany

(Encyclopedia)lime, in botany, small shrublike tree (Citrus aurantifolia) of the family Rutaceae (rue family), one of the citrus fruit trees, similar to the lemon but more spreading and irregular in growth. The tru...

palladium, chemical element

(Encyclopedia)palladium [Gr. Pallas, goddess of wisdom], metallic chemical element; symbol Pd; at. no. 46; at. wt. 106.42; m.p. 1,554℃; b.p. 2,970℃; sp. gr. 12.02 at 20℃; valence +2, +3, or +4. Palladium is a...

mercury, chemical element

(Encyclopedia)mercury or quicksilver [from the Roman god Mercury], metallic chemical element; symbol Hg [Lat. hydrargyrum=liquid silver]; at. no. 80; at. wt. 200.59; m.p. −38.842℃; b.p. 356.58℃; sp. gr. 13.55...

platinum

(Encyclopedia)platinum plătˈənəm [key], metallic chemical element; symbol Pt; at. no. 78; at. wt. 195.084; m.p. 1,772℃; b.p. 3,827±100℃; sp. gr. 21.45 at 20℃; valence +2 or +4. Pure platinum is a malleab...

Hopkins, Sir Frederick Gowland

(Encyclopedia)Hopkins, Sir Frederick Gowland, 1861–1947, English biochemist, educated at Cambridge and the Univ. of London. He was professor of biochemistry at Cambridge (1914–43). Among his contributions were ...

gilding

(Encyclopedia)gilding, process of applying a thin layer of real or imitation gold to a surface. The process is employed on wood, metal, ivory, leather, paper, glass, porcelain, and fabrics and is used to embellish ...

nux vomica

(Encyclopedia)nux vomica nŭks vŏmˈəkə [key], bitter-tasting drug obtained from the poisonous seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica, a tree that grows in Sri Lanka, India, and N Australia. The dried seeds contain stryc...

nitro group

(Encyclopedia)nitro group, in chemistry, functional group that consists of a nitrogen atom joined to two oxygen atoms. Compounds that contain a nitro group, e.g., picric acid and trinitrotoluene (TNT), are called n...

Lister, Joseph Lister, 1st Baron

(Encyclopedia)Lister, Joseph Lister, 1st Baron, 1827–1912, English surgeon, educated at University College, London. He brought to surgery the principle of antisepsis, an outgrowth of Pasteur's theory that bacteri...