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berkelium

(Encyclopedia)berkelium bûrˈklēəm [key] [from Berkeley], artificially produced radioactive chemical element; symbol Bk; at. no. 97; mass no. of most stable isotope 247; m.p. about 1,050℃; b.p. about 2,590℃;...

relocation center

(Encyclopedia)relocation center, in U.S. history, camp in which Japanese and Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II. Fearing a Japanese invasion, the military leaders, under authority of an executive ...

coconut

(Encyclopedia)coconut, fruit of the coco palm (Cocos nucifera), a tree widely distributed through tropical regions. The seed is peculiarly adapted to dispersal by water because the large pod holding the nut is buoy...

beryllium

(Encyclopedia)beryllium bərĭlˈēəm [key] [from beryl ], metallic chemical element; symbol Be; at. no. 4; at. wt. 9.01218; m.p. about 1,278℃; b.p. 2,970℃ (estimated); sp. gr. 1.85 at 20℃; valence +2. Ber...

compression

(Encyclopedia)compression, external stress applied to an object or substance, tending to cause a decrease in volume (see pressure). Gases can be compressed easily, solids and liquids to a very small degree if at al...

magnetic pole

(Encyclopedia)magnetic pole, the two roughly opposite ends of the planet where the earth's magnetic intensity is the greatest, as the north and south magnetic poles. For the magnetic north, it is the direction from...

acetic acid

(Encyclopedia)acetic acid əsēˈtĭk [key], CH3CO2H, colorless liquid that has a characteristic pungent odor, boils at 118℃, and is miscible with water in all proportions; it is a weak organic carboxylic acid (s...

logic circuit

(Encyclopedia)logic circuit, electric circuit whose output depends upon the input in a way that can be expressed as a function in symbolic logic; it has one or more binary inputs (capable of assuming either of two ...

xylene

(Encyclopedia)xylene dīˌmĕthəlbĕnˈzēn [key], C6H4(CH3)2, colorless, oily, liquid aromatic hydrocarbon, used extensively as a solvent, obtained from coal tar, wood tar, and sometimes from petroleum. It is a m...

sucrose

(Encyclopedia)sucrose so͞oˈkrōs [key], commonest of the sugars, a white, crystalline solid disaccharide (see carbohydrate) with a sweet taste, melting and decomposing at 186℃ to form caramel. It is known commo...