This page gathers the 217 dictionary entries of which at least one sense is labelled “Physical” by Wiktionary. The definition shown is that sense; each word leads to its full entry. Page 2 of 2: from “cluster” to “zero-point energy”.
- cluster noun An ensemble of bound atoms (especially of a metal) or molecules, intermediate in size between a molecule and a bulk solid.
- coacervate noun The microsphere droplet that results from coacervation.
- cohesive energy noun Standard enthalpy of formation of the constituent atoms from a solid phase.
- cohobate verb To treat a material with a boiling liquid and repeatedly return the distillate.
- cohobation noun The boiling of a material in a liquid with the repeated return of the distillate.
- colligative property noun A property of a solution that is influenced by the relative amount of solute particles, rather than the properties of the solute itself.
- collision theory noun Any theory that relates collisions among particles to reaction rate; reaction rate depends on such factors as concentration, surface area…
- colloid noun A stable system of two phases, one of which is dispersed in the other in the form of very small droplets or particles.
- concentration noun The amount of solute in a solution measured in suitable units (e.g., parts per million (ppm))
- condensation noun The conversion of a gas to a liquid.
- condensation reaction noun any reaction in which two (or more) molecules react with the resulting loss of a molecule of water (or other small molecule); the formal…
- conformation noun The spatial arrangement of a group of atoms in a molecule as a result of rotation about a covalent bond which remains unbroken.
- conformational analysis noun The study of the arrangement in space of the constituent atoms of a molecule that may undergo rotation about one or more single bonds
- conformational isomerism noun A form of isomerism in which isomers differ in the conformation of the molecule due to rotation of atoms about one or more single bonds
- conformer noun Any of a set of stereoisomers characterized by a conformation that corresponds to a distinct potential energy minimum.
- conservation of mass noun A conservation law of classical physics that states that the total mass of a closed system remains constant regardless of the chemical or…
- coordinate bond noun A type of covalent bond where the two electrons being shared originate from the same atom; a dative bond.
- corrosion noun Erosion by chemical action, especially oxidation.
- corset effect noun With regard to a stable tetrahedrane derivative with four tertiary butyl substituents enveloping the tetrahedrane core, the theory that…
- Cotton effect noun The characteristic change in optical rotatory dispersion and/or circular dichroism in the vicinity of an absorption band of a substance.
- covalent bond noun A type of chemical bond where two atoms are connected to each other by the sharing of two or more electrons.
- covolume noun The part of a volume (typically of a gas) available for the oscillation and translation of the material therein
- cryocondensation noun The use of very low temperatures to condense volatile (usually) organic compounds from the air or other gaseous medium.
- cryoscopy noun The estimation of the molecular weight of a compound by measuring its effect on the freezing point of a solvent.
- crystal field theory noun A description of various properties of transition element complex compounds that compares the effects of its ligands to that of…
- crystalloid noun Any substance that can be crystallized from solution; a water-soluble crystalline substance that can diffuse through a semipermeable…
- cubatic adj Describing a liquid crystal in which the molecules have no long-range translational order, but whose orientations have cubic symmetry…
- Curie temperature noun The temperature at which the magnetism of a substance changes, specifically when a ferromagnetic material becomes paramagnetic.
- Curtius rearrangement noun The thermal decomposition of an acyl azide to an isocyanate with loss of nitrogen gas. The isocyanate then undergoes attack by a variety of…
- cybotactic adj Describing the region around a solute molecule (the cosphere) in which the solvent molecules are more ordered
- degree of ionization noun the ratio of the number of ions of a solute to the total number of molecules of that solute in a solution
- dehybridization noun The reversal of hybridization; the separation of hybrid orbitals into distinct atomic orbitals.
- deionization noun The use of ion exchange to remove ionic substances from a solution
- deionize verb To cause (an ionized substance) to return to a neutral state; to convert (an ion) into a neutral atom or molecule.
- deliquesce verb To become liquid by absorbing water from the atmosphere and dissolving in it.
- deliquescent adj Absorbing moisture from the air and forming a solution.
- deliquium noun Liquefaction through absorption of moisture from the air.
- delocalization noun the phenomenon in which bonding electrons of some molecules serve to bind several atoms instead of just two; it is observed in metals and…
- delocalize verb To contain an electron in an orbital that extends over several adjacent atoms.
- delocalized adj Describing the π-electrons in a conjugated, aromatic or mesoionic compound that are not associated with any particular atom or bond
- delta notation noun A notation for denoting the prevalence of an isotope, equal to the normalized ratio of one isotope to another in a sample relative to that…
- dephlegmate verb To deprive of superabundant water, as by evaporation or distillation; to clear of aqueous matter; to rectify; used of spirits and acids.
- destructive distillation noun The heating of a material, such as coal or wood, in an inert atmosphere, at a high temperature such as to cause decomposition; the…
- diachysis noun A method of separating molecules or particles of different sizes by differential diffusion through a semipermeable membrane.
- diastereofacial adj Describing any reaction that preferentially involves one side (face) of an approximately planar diastereoisomer
- diastereoisomer noun A stereoisomer having multiple chiral centres; a diastereoisomer cannot normally be superimposed on the mirror image of another.
- dibridgehead adj Being or relating to either of the two atoms in different parts of a molecule that are connected by two bridges, each of two or more other…
- differential thermal analysis noun The branch of materials science that studies the temperature dependant properties of materials compared with some reference material.
- discordant adj Of a rock formation or other land feature, or its alignment: cutting across or transverse to neighbouring features.
- dissolve verb To disintegrate chemically into a solution by immersion into a liquid or other material.
- double bond noun A covalent bond in which two electron pairs (instead of the usual one) are shared between two atoms; most common between carbon atoms and…
- drift noun Anything driven at random.
- electrochemomechanics noun An area of the physical chemistry of polymers concerned with the reversible conversion of electrical and chemical energy into mechanical…
- electrode potential noun the potential difference of a half-reaction which occurs across a reversible cell made up of any electrode and a standard hydrogen electrode
- emulsion noun A colloid in which both phases are liquid.
- flocculation noun A condition in which clays, polymers or other small charged particles become attached and form a fragile structure, a floc.
- fork noun An intersection in a road or path where one road is split into two.
- form noun The shape or visible structure of a thing or person.
- free adj Unobstructed, without blockages.
- free energy noun Helmholtz free energy, A: the internal energy of a system minus the product of its entropy and absolute temperature.
- gas noun Matter in an intermediate state between liquid and plasma that can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid (or in a bubble…
- Gibbs free energy noun The difference between the enthalpy of a system and the product of its entropy and absolute temperature: a measure of the useful work…
- gold point noun The melting point of gold, 1036°C.
- half-life noun In a chemical reaction, the time required for the concentration of a reactant to fall from a chosen value to half that value.
- heterotactic adj Having substituents arranged in a random configuration in each repeat unit
- hit verb To administer a blow to, directly or with a weapon or missile.
- hydrogen bond noun A weak bond in which a hydrogen atom in one molecule is attracted to an electronegative atom (usually nitrogen or oxygen) in the same or…
- insoluble adj That cannot be dissolved.
- intercalation noun The reversible insertion of a molecule between two others.
- ionic bond noun A type of chemical bond where two atoms or molecules are connected to each other by electrostatic attraction.
- isomer noun Any of two or more compounds with the same molecular formula but with different structure.
- isomeric adj Being an isomer.
- isomerism noun the phenomenon of the existence of isomers - the existence of different substances with the same molecular formulae
- levogyrate adj Turning or twisting the plane of polarization towards the left, as in levulose, levotartaric acid, etc.
- ligand noun Such an entity that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex.
- liquid noun A substance that is flowing, and keeping no shape, such as water; a substance of which the molecules, while not tending to separate from…
- lithophile noun In the Goldschmidt classification, an element that forms silicates or oxides and is concentrated in the minerals of the Earth's crust.
- mass noun A quantity of matter cohering so as to make one body, or an aggregation of particles or things which collectively make one body or…
- miss verb To fail to hit, catch, grasp, etc.
- molecular mechanics noun A non-rigorous method of computing the structures, energies, and some properties of molecules by assuming they behave like small balls…
- molecular orbital noun The quantum mechanical behavior of an electron in a molecule describing the probability of the electron's particular position and energy…
- mutarotation noun A dynamic change in the rotation of polarized light as it passes through a fresh solution of some sugars as an equilibrium mixture of…
- neighbouring group noun A functional group that is in close proximity to another that is taking part in a reaction; especially such a functional group that affects…
- neighbouring group participation noun Any of many effects in organic chemistry in which the course of a reaction, or its rate, is affected by the presence of a neighbouring…
- osmotic pressure noun The hydrostatic pressure exerted by a solution across a semipermeable membrane from a pure solvent; the pressure needed to counteract…
- pack verb To make a pack of; to arrange closely and securely in a pack; hence, to place and arrange compactly as in a pack
- photoreversible adj Describing any compound or system that can exist in two forms, and can be changed from one to the other by the appropriate influence of…
- place noun An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard.
- power noun Physical force or strength.
- protoculture noun The passing of behaviours from one generation to another among non-human primates. These cultures are very rudimentary, and do not exhibit…
- protyle noun A hypothetical base substance from which all chemical elements were believed to have been made; subatomic particles.
- raise verb To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
- ring noun A circumscribing object, (roughly) circular and hollow, looking like an annual ring, earring, finger ring etc.
- rotaxane noun A complex of two molecules, one ring-shaped and the other dumbbell-shaped, with the dumbbell threaded through the ring and having end…
- round adj Circular or cylindrical; having a circular cross-section in one direction.
- SCF noun Supercritical fluid.
- siderophile noun In the Goldschmidt classification, an element that forms alloys easily with iron and is concentrated in the Earth's core.
- sink verb To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance.
- slab noun Ellipsis of slab avalanche.
- sol noun A type of colloid in which a solid is dispersed in a liquid.
- solution noun A homogeneous mixture, which may be liquid, gas or solid, formed by dissolving one or more substances.
- solvolysis noun Any reaction, between a solute and its solvent, in which one or more bonds of the solute are broken; specifically a substitution…
- solvomolality noun A measure of the comparative solubility of a material in a mixture of a solvent and a reference solvent.
- sonde noun Any of various devices for testing physical conditions, often for remote or underwater locations.
- sonochemistry noun The study the effect of ultrasound in forming acoustic cavitation in liquids, resulting in the initiation or enhancement of chemical…
- stereospecific catalyst noun a catalyst that preferentially catalyzes the formation of one of a pair of stereoisomers, or one of a set of stereoisomeric polymers
- stereospecificity noun The property of a chemical reaction that yields specific stereoisomers as products.
- torsion angle noun In a chain of atoms A-B-C-D, the dihedral angle between the plane containing the atoms A,B,C and that containing B,C,D
- trans adj In (or constituting, forming, or describing) a double bond in which the greater radical on both ends is on the opposite side of the bond.
- trans- prefix A compound in which two atoms or groups are situated on opposite sides of some plane of symmetry passing through the compound. (Also used…
- tricapped adj Having nine atoms, groups of atoms, or ligands arranged around a central atom, defining the vertices of a triaugmented triangular prism.
- triple bond noun A covalent bond in which three electron pairs (instead of the usual one) are shared between two atoms; most common between carbon atoms and…
- turn noun A short skit, act, or routine.
- unionize verb To cause (an ionized substance) to return to a neutral state; to convert (an ion) into a neutral atom or molecule.
- view noun The act of seeing or looking at something.
- Wien effect noun The experimentally-observed increase in ionic mobility or conductivity of electrolytes at very high gradient of electrical potential.
- zero-point energy noun The kinetic energy possessed by (the particle constituents of) a substance at absolute zero temperature.