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cyclohexane

(Encyclopedia)cyclohexane sīˌkləhĕkˈsān [key], C6H12, colorless liquid hydrocarbon. It is a cyclic alkane that melts at 6℃ and boils at 81℃. It is nearly insoluble in water. Cyclohexane is found naturally...

Abel, Sir Frederick Augustus

(Encyclopedia)Abel, Sir Frederick Augustus, 1826–1902, English chemist, an authority on explosives. He was professor of chemistry at the Royal Military Academy (1851–55) and chemist to the War Dept. and governm...

Pitch Lake

(Encyclopedia)Pitch Lake, pool of pitch (asphalt), c.114 acres (46 hectares), SW Trinidad island, Trinidad and Tobago, near La Brea. The lake is believed to be formed and supplied by the seepage of natural pitch, a...

Salon-de-Provence

(Encyclopedia)Salon-de-Provence sälôNˈ-də-prôväNsˈ [key], town (1990 pop. 35,041), Bouches-du-Rhône dept., SE France. Its major manufactures are olive oil, petroleum products, coffee, and soap. In the town ...

Bedford, John of Lancaster, duke of

(Encyclopedia)Bedford, John of Lancaster, duke of, 1389–1435, English nobleman; third son of Henry IV of England and brother of Henry V. At the death (1422) of his brother and succession of his 9-month-old nephew...

York, Edmund of Langley, duke of

(Encyclopedia)York, Edmund of Langley, duke of, 1341–1402, fifth son of Edward III of England. He was made (1362) earl of Cambridge, served on expeditions to Spain and France, and married (1372) Isabel, daughter ...

minimum wage

(Encyclopedia)minimum wage, lowest wage legally permitted in an industry or in a government or other organization. The goal in establishing minimum wages has been to assure wage earners a standard of living above t...

World Heritage Site

(Encyclopedia)World Heritage Site, a place of cultural or natural importance listed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. The sites, some natural, so...

Schengen Agreement

(Encyclopedia)Schengen Agreement shĕngˈən [key], agreement signed in 1985 in Schengen, Luxembourg, by several European Community (now the European Union; EU) to establish a mutual visa policy that would permit f...

McGivney, Michael Joseph

(Encyclopedia)McGivney, Michael Joseph, 1852–1890, American Roman Catholic priest, founder of the Knights of Columbus, b. Waterbury, Conn. After studying at seminaries in Canada and the United States, he was orda...