Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

tannin

(Encyclopedia)tannin, tannic acid, or gallotannic acid, astringent vegetable product found in a wide variety of plants. Sources include the bark of oak, hemlock, chestnut, and mangrove; the leaves of certain sumac...

phosphate

(Encyclopedia)phosphate, salt or ester of phosphoric acid, H3PO4. Because phosphoric acid is tribasic (having three replaceable hydrogen atoms), it forms monophosphate, diphosphate, and triphosphate salts in which ...

asparagine

(Encyclopedia)CE5 asparagine əspârˈəjēn [key], organic compound, one of the 20 amino acids commonly found in animal proteins. Only the l-stereoisomer participates in the biosynthesis of mammalian proteins. ...

hydrolysis

(Encyclopedia)hydrolysis hīdrŏlˈĭsĭs [key], chemical reaction of a compound with water, usually resulting in the formation of one or more new compounds. The most common hydrolysis occurs when a salt of a weak ...

gout

(Encyclopedia)gout, condition that manifests itself as recurrent attacks of acute arthritis, which may become chronic and deforming. It results from deposits of uric acid crystals in connective tissue or joints. Th...

ribose

(Encyclopedia)ribose rīˈbōs [key], monosaccharide carbohydrate of universal distribution in living tissue, found in ribonucleic acid (RNA; see nucleic acid), free nucleotides, and various coenzymes. Its close re...

hydrogen cyanide

(Encyclopedia)hydrogen cyanide, HCN, colorless, volatile, and extremely poisonous chemical compound whose vapors have a bitter almond odor. It melts at −14℃ and boils at 26℃. It is miscible in all proportions...

anhydride

(Encyclopedia)anhydride ănhīˈdrīd, –drĭd [key] [Gr.,=without water], chemical compound formed by removing water, H2O, from another compound; the anhydride can also react with water to form the original compo...

aqua regia

(Encyclopedia)aqua regia rēˈjēə [key] [Lat.,=royal water], corrosive, fuming yellow liquid prepared by mixing one volume of concentrated nitric acid with three to four volumes of concentrated hydrochloric acid....

amide

(Encyclopedia)amide ămˈīd [key], organic compound formed by reaction of an acid chloride, acid anhydride, or ester with an amine. Under strong acidic conditions an amide can be hydrolyzed to yield an amine and a...