Related Words

Compound: A substance formed by two or more elements combined in a fixed ratio.

Binary Compound: A compound that contains two different elements. Nacl is a binary compound; naclo is not.

Inorganic Compound: A compound that does not contain carbon chemically bound to hydrogen. Carbonates, bicarbonates, carbides, and carbon oxides are considered inorganic compounds, even though they contain carbon.

Aromatic Compound: A compound containing an aromatic ring. Aromatic compounds have strong, characteristic odors.

Compound Tide: A harmonic tidal (or tidal current) constituent with a speed equal to the sum or difference of the speeds of two or more elementary constituents. The presence of compound tides is usually at . . . View Full Definition

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCS): Organic compounds that evaporate readily into the air. VOCs include substances such as benzene, toluene, methylene chloride, and methyl chloroform.

Compound Interest: When the interest you earn on an investment is added to form the new base on which future interest accumulates, it is compound interest. For example, say you earn 5% compound interest on $10 . . . View Full Definition

Compounding: Compounding occurs when your investment earnings or savings account interest is added to your principal, forming a larger base on which future earnings may accumulate. As your investment bas . . . View Full Definition

Compound Lens: Lens system consisting of two or more elements. Compound lens designs can allow the lens designer to reduce lens aberrations, making maximum apertures larger and improve resolution.

Ionic Compound: A compound made of distinguishable cations and anions, held together by electrostatic forces.