Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Bosch, Carl

(Encyclopedia)Bosch, Carl, 1874–1940, German chemist and engineer, Ph.D. Univ. of Leipzig, 1898. In 1899, Bosch began working as a chemist for BASF, which merged with six other German chemical firms to become I. ...

sodium nitrate

(Encyclopedia)sodium nitrate, chemical compound, NaNO3, a colorless, odorless crystalline compound that closely resembles potassium nitrate (saltpeter or niter) in appearance and chemical properties. It is soluble ...

potassium hydroxide

(Encyclopedia)potassium hydroxide, chemical compound with formula KOH. Pure potassium hydroxide forms white, deliquescent crystals. For commercial and laboratory use it is usually in the form of white pellets. A st...

energy

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Relations between potential energy (PE) and kinetic energy (KE) for a swinging pendulum energy, in physics, the ability or capacity to do work or to produce change. Forms of energy include hea...

H

(Encyclopedia)H, 8th letter of the alphabet. It is a usual symbol for a glottal spirant, murmured (as in the English house) or voiceless (as in the English herb). In some Greek alphabets eta, the long e, had this f...

N

(Encyclopedia)N, 14th letter of the alphabet. It is a usual symbol for a voiced alveolar (or dental) nasal, as in the English not. The diagraph ng represents a different sound, a voiced velar nasal, as in the Engli...

B

(Encyclopedia)B, second letter of the alphabet. Its Greek correspondent is named beta. It is a usual symbol for a voiced bilabial stop. In musical notation it is used to represent a note in the scale. In chemistry ...

Stürmer, Boris Vladimirovich

(Encyclopedia)Stürmer, Boris Vladimirovich bərēsˈ vlədyēˈmĭrəvĭch shtyo͞orˈmĭr [key], 1848–1917, Russian public official. He became premier early in 1916 and shortly afterward replaced Sazonov as for...

V

(Encyclopedia)V, 22d letter of the alphabet (see U). It is a usual symbol for a voiced labiodental spirant, as in the English vat. In Roman numerals it corresponds to Arabic 5. In chemistry V is the symbol of the e...

barograph

(Encyclopedia)barograph, instrument used to make a continuous recording of atmospheric pressure. The pressure-sensitive element, a partially evacuated metal cylinder, is linked to a pen arm in such a way that the v...