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potassium nitrate

(Encyclopedia)potassium nitrate, chemical compound, KNO3, occurring as colorless, prismatic crystals or as a white powder; it is found pure in nature as the mineral saltpeter, or niter. (The name saltpeter is also ...

enthalpy

(Encyclopedia)enthalpy ĕnˈthălpē [key], measure of the heat content of a chemical or physical system; it is a quantity derived from the heat and work relations studied in thermodynamics. As a system changes fro...

hydrogen peroxide

(Encyclopedia)hydrogen peroxide, chemical compound, H2O2, a colorless, syrupy liquid that is a strong oxidizing agent and, in water solution, a weak acid. It is miscible with cold water and is soluble in alcohol an...

Grignard reagent

(Encyclopedia)Grignard reagent grēnyärdˈ rēāˈjənt [key], any of an important class of extremely reactive chemical compounds used in the synthesis of hydrocarbons, alcohols, carboxylic acids, and other compou...

sulfide

(Encyclopedia)sulfide, chemical compound containing sulfur and one other element or sulfur and a radical. Sulfides may be salts or esters of hydrogen sulfide, H2S, or may be formed directly, e.g., by heating a meta...

glutamic acid

(Encyclopedia)CE5 glutamic acid glo͞otămˈĭk [key], organic compound, one of the 20 amino acids commonly found in animal proteins. Only the l-stereoisomer occurs in mammalian proteins. Like aspartic acid, glu...

zinc oxide

(Encyclopedia)zinc oxide, chemical compound, ZnO, that is nearly insoluble in water but soluble in acids or alkalies. It occurs as white hexagonal crystals or a white powder commonly known as zinc white. Zinc white...

silicon carbide

(Encyclopedia)silicon carbide, chemical compound, SiC, that forms extremely hard, dark, iridescent crystals that are insoluble in water and other common solvents. Widely used as an abrasive, it is marketed under su...

titration

(Encyclopedia)titration tītrāˈshən [key], gradual addition of an acidic solution to a basic solution or vice versa (see acids and bases); titrations are used to determine the concentration of acids or bases in ...

brine shrimp

(Encyclopedia)brine shrimp, common name for a primitive crustacean that seldom reaches more than 1⁄2 in. (1.3 cm) in length and is commonly used for fish food in aquariums. Brine shrimp, which are not closely rel...