Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

polycarbonates

(Encyclopedia)polycarbonates, group of clear, thermoplastic polymers used mainly as molding compounds (see plastic). Polycarbonates are prepared by the reaction of an aromatic difunctional phenol with either phosge...

white-eye

(Encyclopedia)white-eye, common name for warblerlike, arboreal birds, including 85 species in the family Zosteropidae, and for certain species of ducks. The members of Zosteropidae, with the exception of a few spec...

cosmos

(Encyclopedia)cosmos kŏzˈməs [key], any plant of the tropical American genus Cosmos of the family Asteraceae (aster family). C. bipinnatus, of Mexico, and others are cultivated in many varieties for their showy ...

Colón, city, Panama

(Encyclopedia)Colón, city, Panama, at the Caribbean end of the Panama Canal. Colón, the second largest city in Panama, was surrounded by, but not part of, the forme...

chalcopyrite

(Encyclopedia)chalcopyrite pīrīˈtēz, pə– [key], brass-yellow mineral, sometimes with an iridescent tarnish. It is a sulfide of copper and iron, CuFeS2 . It crystallizes in the tetragonal system but is usua...

furze

(Encyclopedia)furze, any plant of the genus Ulex of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), low, densely branched shrubs with spiny leaves (when present) and fragrant yellow blossoms. U. europaeus, the common furze ...

Baotou

(Encyclopedia)Baotou or Paotow both: bou-tō [key], city (1994 est. pop. 1,032,900), Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, China. A port and major trade center on the Huang He (Yellow River), it is connected by rail w...

mica

(Encyclopedia)mica mīˈkə [key], general term for a large group of minerals, hydrous silicates of aluminum and potassium, often containing magnesium, ferrous iron, ferric iron, sodium, and lithium and more rarely...

cadmium

(Encyclopedia)cadmium kădˈmēəm [key] [from cadmia, Lat. for calamine, with which cadmium is found associated], metallic chemical element; symbol Cd; at. no. 48; at. wt. 112.411; m.p. 321℃; b.p. 765℃; sp. gr...

saffron

(Encyclopedia)saffron, name for a fall-flowering plant (Crocus sativus) of the family Iridaceae (iris family) and also for a dye obtained therefrom. The plant is native to Asia Minor, where for centuries it has bee...