Chemistry Vocabulary Flashcards
A substance that yields hydrogen or hydronium ions in a/an water (aqueous) solution.
Acid (Arrhenius)
Self-digestion or self-destruction of the body by autolytic enzymes.
Autolysis
The same as one thousandth of a liter.
Milliliter
The resistance that a liquid exhibits to the flow of one layer over another arising from the molecular attraction between the molecules of a liquid.
Viscosity
Standard unit of volume in the metric system.
Liter
A solution having an equal concentration of dissolved solute as the solution to which it is compared.
Isotonic Solution
The reaction between a fat and a stong base to produce glycerol and the salt of a fatty acid (soap).
Saponification
The symbol for the element Zinc.
Zn
The decomposition of proteins by the action of enzymes from anaerobic bacteria.
Putrefaction
A formula that denotes a class of compounds and includes the functional group and a symbol (R) denoting a radical.
General Formulas
An aliphatic hydrocarbon with one or more halogen atoms attached.
Alkyl Halide
A physical property of matter (solid, liquid, or gas); condition of the physical composition of a substance at a given temperature and pressure.
State of Matter
An inorganic salt used to maintain the acid-base balance.
Sodium Phosphate
The symbol for the element Bromine.
Br
A type of lipid formed from the combination of unsaturated and/or saturated fatty acids and high molecular-weight alcohols (not glycerol).
Wax
Anthing that occupies space and has mass.
Matter
A monovalent radical of the general formula CnH2n+1 formed when an alkane loses one hydrogen atom.
Alkyl Group
The prefix for 1/1,000,000th.
Micro
Chemicals that increase the capability of embalmed tissues to retain moisture.
Humectants
The possession by two or more distinct compounds of the same molecular formula, each molecule having the same number of atoms of each element, but in different arrangement.
Isomerism
A wax-like material produced by saponification of body fat in a body buried in alkaline soil.
Adipocere (Gravewax)
Substances that in solution are capable of neutralizing, within limits, both acids and bases and thereby maintaining the original, or constant pH, of the solution.
Buffers
A carbohydrate formed by the linking of two monosaccharide units.
Disaccharide
A mixture of alkybenzydimethylammonium chlorides. It and several very similar mixtures are used in the embalming labratory in solutions for sterilization of instruments.
Benzalkonium Chloride
A bond formed from a dehydration reaction between the amino group on one amino acid with the carboxyl (organic acid) group on the other amino acid.
Peptide Bond
A number used to represent the number of electrons lost, gained, or shared in a chemical change.
Oxidation Number
The ability of a system or material to do work.
Energy
A solution having a lesser concentration of dissolved solute than the solution to which it is compared.
Hypotonic Solution
Any organic compound with the general formula ROR1, where R and R1 are hydrocarbon groups, formed by the dehydration between two alcohols.
Ether
Water hardness that cannot be removed by boiling. The addition of chemicals must be used. Caused by the chloride and sulfate salts of calcium and magnesium.
Permanent Hardness of Water
A combination of symbols used to express the chemical composition of a substance.
Formula
The passage of pure solvent from a solution of lesser solute concentration to one of greater solute concentration with then two solutions are separated by a semipermeable membrane which selectively prevents the passage of solute molecules, but is permeable to the solvent.
Osmosis
A chemical reaction in which a substance is broken down or dissociated by water; a reaction between a salt and water to yield an acid and a base of unequal strengths.
Hydrolysis
A modifying agent, this is a thick liquid often added to embalming fluids. Its purpose is to increase the solubility of various compounds, to delay the firming action of formaldehyde and to serve as a humectant.
Glycerol (Glycerin)
Any class of organic compounds containing the carbonyl group (C=O) whose carbon atom is joined to two other carbon atoms, the carbonyl group occurs within the carbon chain.
Ketone
The measure of how well two substances mix.
Solubility
The physical change from a liquid into a gas.
Vaporization
The prefix for ten.
Deka
A solution containing less of the solute than can be held in solution by the solvent.
Unsaturated Solution
A group of atoms that acts as a unit and possesses a charge.
Polyatomic Ion
Conversion of a solid or gas into a liquid form as a result of a physical or chemical change.
Liquefaction
Energy that is stored.
Potential Energy
The symbol for the element Nitrogen.
N
A chemical formula showing the spatial arrangement of the atoms ad the linkage of every atom.
Structural Formula
A chemical group composed of one carbon atom double bonded to oxygen.
Carbonyl Group
The predecessor of chemistry, with its roots in Egypt. The Greeks named Egypt Kemi, because of the rich black soil.
Alchemy
The symbol for the element Arsenic.
As
A saturated hydrocarbon; a hydrocarbon that has no carbon-carbon multiple bonds; formally called the paraffin series.
Alkane
A neutral subatomic particle with a mass similar to that of a proton. It is normally found in the nucleus of an atom.
Neutron
A ratio of densities with water as the standard.
Specific Gravity
The symbol for the element Calcium.
Ca
A decrease in oxidation number; a gain of electrons; a combination of a substance with hydrogen.
Reduction
The condition of water which results from dissolved minerals and metallic ions such as calcium and magnesium.
Hardness of Water
A sugar in which the functional groups are hydroxyl groups (-OH) and an aldehyde group (-CHO).
Aldose
Means by which heat and cold are expressed; means to measure how hot or cold a substance is.
Temperature Scale
The symbol for the element Tin.
Sn
The existence of an element in two or more distinct forms.
Allotropism
A hydrocarbon containing a double bond.
Alkene
The bass SI unit of temperature equal to 1/273.15 the absolute temperature of the triple point of water.
Kelvin
A sample of matter with uniform composition.
Homogeneous
A hydrocarbon containing a triple bond.
Alkyne
The temperature scale defined so that the freezing point of water is 0o and its boiling point is 100o at 1 atmosphere of pressure.
Celsius Temperature (oC)
The removal of water from a substance.
Dehydration (Desiccation)
The symbol for the element Silver.
Ag
All embalming fluids will contain some of this since it is so closely associated with the manufacture of formalin. Some fluids contain extra amounts because it stabilizes formalin and because it is both a solvent and a germicide.
Methanol (Methyl Alcohol, Wood Alcohol)
A positively charged atom or group of atoms.
Cation
Fluids whose purpose is to clear the vascular system of blood and enable the arterial solution to distribute with greater facility.
Pre-Injection Fluids
The total amount of formaldehyde which protein will combine with to be completely preserved.
Formaldehyde Demand
A chemical formula expressing the number of atoms of each element present in a molecule of a substance, without indicating how they are linked.
Molecular Formula
An alcohol in which the hydroxyl (-OH) group is attached to a carbon that is attached to two other carbons.
Secondary Alcohols
The movement of molecules or other particles in solution from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration until uniform concentration is reached.
Diffusion
A substance that donates a proton.
Acid (Bronsted-Lowry)
A six carbon sugar molecule.
Hexose
A five-carbon sugar.
Pentose
The symbol for the element Iron.
Fe
A simple substance which cannot be decomposed by ordinary chemical means.
Element
The fluids specifically designed for preservation and disinfection purposes.
Embalming Fluids
A compound of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen that is an aldehyde or ketone derivative of a polyhydroxy alcohol.
Examples:
- Sugars
- Starches
- Glycogen
Carbohydrate
The symbol for the element Chlorine.
Cl
A substance that changes the rate of a chemical reaction but undergoes no net change itself during the reaction.
Catalyst
An alcohol in which the hydroxyl (-OH) group is attached to a carbon that is attached to no more than one other carbon.
Primary Alcohol
A chemical bond in which a pair of electrons is shared between two atoms.
Covalent Bond
An organic compound containing one or more -CHO groups. The general formula is RCHO where R is a hydrocarbon group or hydrogen.
Aldehyde
A homogeneous mixture of one or more substances (solutes) dissolved in a sufficient quantity of solvent.
Solution
The symbol for the element Magnesium.
Mg
Those chemicals specifically designed for use in the preparation of bodies that have been autopsied.
Autopsy Chemicals
That branch of chemistry that deals with certain carbon-containing copounds.
Organic Chemistry
A state of matter which the atoms or molecules move about in almost complete freedom from one another. No definite shape or volume and assume the shape and volume of their container.
Gas
Liquids that serve as solvents for the numerous ingredients incorporated into embalming fluids.
Vehicles
A solvent and a disinfectant in embalming fluid. It is noted for its ability to dehydrate tissue.
Ethanol
The concentrated, preservative embalming chemical that will be diluted with water to form the arterial solution for injection into the arterial system during vascular embalming.
Arterial Fluid
A charactertistic that can be observed when a substance is interacting with other substances resulting in a change in chemical composition.
Chemical Properties
The smallest dose of a poison (or radiation) on recor that produces death.
Minimum Lethal Dose (MLD)
An example of a wetting agent (surfactant) added to embalming fluids to increase penetrability.
Sodium Laurel Sulfate
The same as one millionth of a meter.
Micrometer
The process by which a substance is given a definite form.
Crystallization
That branch of chemistry dealing with compounds produced by living organisms.
Biochemistry
In any chemical or physical change, energy is neither created nor destroyed but merely transformed from one form to another.
Law of Conservation of Energy
The prefix for 1/100th.
Centi
A compound in which there is a chemical union between water and certain substances when they crystallize.
Hydrate
Used to keep the blood in the liquid state; chemicals that retard the tendency of the blood to become more viscous by natural postmortem processes and/or prevent any other adverse reactions from occurring between the blood and the other embalming chemicals.
Anticoagulants
Any compound containing a resonance stabilized ring such as benzene or toluene.
Aromatic
The process of converting soluble protein into insoluble protein by heating or by contact with a chemica such as an alcohol or an aldehyde.
Coagulation
A polyhydric alcohol that is used as a modifying agent as well as for its humectant qualities.
Sorbitol
A specific atom or group of atoms that is attached to a carbon atom in an organic compound and that imparts an identifiable chemical behavior to the compound.
Functional Group
A combination of two or more substances not chemically united and in no definite proportion by mass.
Mixture
An inorganic salt added to embalming fluid to help preserve the acid-base balance, to keep blood from clotting, and in some instances, for hypertonic effect.
Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts)
A univalent radical and the functional group of the basic compounds in inorganic chemistry and the alcohols in organic chemistry.
Hydroxyl-(The Hydroxyl Group)- OH
An organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen that has one or more double or triple bonds between two carbon atoms.
Unsaturated Hydrocarbon
A substance that accepts a pair of electrons.
Acid (Lewis)
The building blocks of proteins; a compound containing an amino group (-NH2), a carboxyl (-COOH) group, and a radical.
Amino Acid
The standard metric unit for length.
Meter
