Science / Chemistry Glossary

Base Hydrolysis Constant: The equilibrium constant for the hydrolysis reaction associated with a base. For example, Kb for ammonia is the equilibrium constant for NH3(aq) + H2O(ell) doublearrow NH4+(aq) + OH-(aq), or . . . View Full Definition

Base Unit: Base units are units that are fundamental building blocks in a system of measurement. There are seven base units in the SI system.

Basis Function: A mathematical function that can be used to build a description of wavefunctions for electrons in atoms or molecules.

Basis Set: A set of mathematical functions that are combined to approximate the wavefunctions for electrons in atoms and molecules.

Battery Acid: A solution of approximately 6M sulfuric acid used in the lead storage battery.

Baumé: (, be°Bé, °B) A, Be scale related to specific gravities, devised by the French chemist Antoine Baumé for marking hydrometers. At 60°F, specific gravity can be calculated from degrees Baumé b . . . View Full Definition

Beers Law: (A=abc or A=epsilonbc) Beer-Lambert law. In absorption spectroscopy, the absorbance of a dilute solution is equal to its absorptivity times the path length times the concentration of the abs . . . View Full Definition

Beryllium: (Be) Element 4, atomic weight 9.0122, an extremely toxic metal used as a neutron source and in phosphors.

Beta Particle: (ß-) An electron emitted by an unstable nucleus, when a neutron decays into a proton and an electron. In some cases, beta radiation consists of positrons ('antielectrons' which are identical . . . View Full Definition

Bidentate: A ligand that has two 'teeth' or atoms that coordinate directly to the central atom in a complex. For example, 1,10-phenanthroline is a bidentate ligand of iron.

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

Biochemistry: The chemistry of living things, including the structure and function of biological molecules and the mechanism and products of their reactions.

Bleach: A dilute solution of sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite which kills bacteria and destroys colored organic materials by oxidizing them.

Block: A region of the periodic table that corresponds to the type of subshell (s, p, d, or f) being filled during the Aufbau construction of electron configurations.

Bohr Atom: A model of the atom that explains emission and absorption of radiation as transitions between stationary electronic states in which the electron orbits the nucleus at a definite distance. Th . . . View Full Definition

Bohr Radius: The atomic unit of length, equal to 0.529 177 2083 × 10-10 m, with an uncertainty of 0.000 000 0019 × 10-10 m [1998 CODATA values]

Boiling: Conversion of liquid into gas as bubbles of gas that form within the liquid. Boiling begins at the temperature where the vapor pressure of a liquid would be equal to the external pressure on . . . View Full Definition

Boiling Point: The temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid would be equal to the external pressure on the liquid. The standard boiling point is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a . . . View Full Definition

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