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perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances

(Encyclopedia)perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of several thousand synthetic organic chemical compounds made up of a chain of carbon atoms bonded to fluorine atoms. PFAS, which resist w...

topaz

(Encyclopedia)topaz tōˈpăz [key], aluminum silicate mineral with either hydroxyl radicals or fluorine, Al2SiO4(F,OH)2, used as a gem. It is commonly colorless or some shade of pale yellow to wine-yellow; pale bl...

peroxide

(Encyclopedia)peroxide pərŏkˈsīd [key], chemical compound containing two oxygen atoms, each of which is bonded to the other and to a radical or some element other than oxygen; e.g., in hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, ...

nitrocellulose

(Encyclopedia)nitrocellulose, nitric acid ester of cellulose (a glucose polymer). It is usually formed by the action of a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids on purified cotton or wood pulp. The extent of nitratio...

benzaldehyde

(Encyclopedia)benzaldehyde bĕnˌzēnkärˈbənəl [key], C6H5CHO, colorless liquid aldehyde with a characteristic almond odor. It boils at 180℃, is soluble in ethanol, but is insoluble in water. It is formed by ...

urine

(Encyclopedia)urine, clear, amber-colored fluid formed by the kidneys that carries metabolic wastes out of the body (see urinary system). As the blood circulates it collects excretory products from the tissues and ...

cell, in biology

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Animal cell cell, in biology, the unit of structure and function of which all plants and animals are composed. The cell is the smallest unit in the living organism that is capable of integrati...

genetics

(Encyclopedia)genetics, scientific study of the mechanism of heredity. While Gregor Mendel first presented his findings on the statistical laws governing the transmission of certain traits from generation to genera...

histamine

(Encyclopedia)histamine hĭsˈtəmēnˌ [key], organic compound derived in the body from the amino acid histidine by the removal of a carboxyl group (COOH). Although found in many plant and animal tissues, histamin...

ergot

(Encyclopedia)ergot ûrˈgət [key], disease of rye and other cereals caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea. The cottony, matlike body, or mycelium, of the fungus develops in the ovaries of the host plant; it eve...