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Mantua

(Encyclopedia)Mantua mănˈcho͞oə, –to͞oə [key], Ital. Mantova, city (1991 pop. 53,065), capital of Mantova prov., Lombardy, N Italy, bordered on three sides by lakes formed by the Mincio River. It is an agri...

francium

(Encyclopedia)francium frănˈsēəm [key] [from France], radioactive chemical element; symbol Fr; at. no. 87; mass no. of most stable isotope 223; m.p. about 27℃ (estimated); b.p. 677℃ (estimated); sp. gr. unk...

hydrogen sulfide

(Encyclopedia)hydrogen sulfide, chemical compound, H2S, a colorless, extremely poisonous gas that has a very disagreeable odor, much like that of rotten eggs. It is slightly soluble in water and is soluble in carbo...

Jabir

(Encyclopedia)Jabir jēˈbər [key], fl. 8th cent., Arab alchemist and physician, originally named Jabir ibn Hayyan. He is believed to have lived at Kufa and at Baghdad. A great number of works on alchemy, many of ...

Castle, Wendell

(Encyclopedia)Castle, Wendell, 1932–2018, American furniture designer, b. Emporia, Kans., grad. Univ. of Kansas (B.F.A. 1958, M.F.A. 1961). Trained as an industrial designer and sculptor, he became the preeminent...

tetraethyl lead

(Encyclopedia)tetraethyl lead tĕtˌrəĕthˈəl [key], (C2H5)4Pb, viscous, colorless, poisonous liquid. It is an organometallic compound prepared by reacting ethyl chloride with a sodium-lead alloy. When added to ...

Brest, city, Belarus

(Encyclopedia)Brest –lĭtôfskˈ [key], Pol. Brześć nad Bugiem, city, capital of Brest region, W Belaru...

mercantilism

(Encyclopedia)mercantilism mûrˈkəntĭlĭzəm [key], economic system of the major trading nations during the 16th, 17th, and 18th cent., based on the premise that national wealth and power were best served by inc...

silicon

(Encyclopedia)silicon, nonmetallic chemical element; symbol Si; at. no. 14; interval in which at. wt. ranges 28.084–28.086; m.p. 1,410℃; b.p. 2,355℃; sp. gr. 2.33 at 25℃; valence usually +4. Silicon is the ...

Gresham, Sir Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Gresham, Sir Thomas grĕshˈəm [key], 1519?–1579, English merchant and financier. As the royal financial agent in Antwerp after 1551 he proved himself very able, though his methods were frequently ...