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cyanide

(Encyclopedia)cyanide sīˈənīdˌ [key], chemical compound containing the cyano group, –CN. Cyanides are salts or esters of hydrogen cyanide (hydrocyanic acid, HCN) formed by replacing the hydrogen with a metal...

needlework

(Encyclopedia)needlework, work done with a needle, either plain sewing, mending, or ornamental work such as embroidery, quilting, smocking, hemstitching, fagoting, some kinds of lace making (see lace), patchwork, a...

pimento

(Encyclopedia)pimento or allspice, common names for a tree (Pimenta dioica or P. officinalis) of the family Myrtaceae (myrtle family) cultivated in the West Indies for its dried unripe berries, used medicinally and...

hypersensitivity

(Encyclopedia)hypersensitivity, heightened response in a body tissue to an antigen or foreign substance. The body normally responds to an antigen by producing specific antibodies against it. The antibodies impart i...

acerola

(Encyclopedia)acerola ăsˌərōˈlə [key] or barbados cherry, the edible fruit of Malpighia glabra, of the genera Bunchiosa and Malpighia of the family Malpighiaceae. The fleshy red stone fruits, about the size o...

ultraviolet radiation

(Encyclopedia)ultraviolet radiation, invisible electromagnetic radiation between visible violet light and X rays; it ranges in wavelength from about 400 to 4 nanometers and in frequency from about 1015 to 1017 hert...

travertine

(Encyclopedia)travertine trăvˈərtĭn, –tēn [key], form of massive calcium carbonate, CaCO3, resulting from deposition by springs or rivers. It is often beautifully colored and banded as a result of the presen...

melting point

(Encyclopedia)melting point, temperature at which a substance changes its state from solid to liquid. Under standard atmospheric pressure different pure crystalline solids will each melt at a different specific tem...

Laurent, Auguste

(Encyclopedia)Laurent, Auguste ōgüstˈ lōräNˈ [key], 1808–53, French organic chemist. He devised a systematic nomenclature for organic chemistry. His studies on naphthalene and its chlorination products led ...

liniment

(Encyclopedia)liniment, liquid preparation rubbed on skin, used to relieve muscular aches and pains. It contains some substance that when rubbed over the affected part causes mild irritation and often brings more b...