Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

54 results found

Likasi

(Encyclopedia)Likasi zhädōvēlˈ [key], city (1984 pop. 213,862), Haut-Katanga prov., SE Congo (Kinshasa). It is a major industrial, mining, and transportation center. Copper and cobalt are mined and refined, and...

carboloy

(Encyclopedia)carboloy kärˈbəloi [key] [portmanteau word from carbon and alloy], an alloy containing cobalt, tungsten, and carbon. This alloy is extremely hard, harder than steel; it is used to cut steel, porcel...

Temiscaming

(Encyclopedia)Temiscaming tĭmĭsˈkəmĭng [key], town (1991 pop. 2,944), SW Que., Canada, at the south end of Lake Timiscaming, NE of North Bay. A paper mill is the town's most important industry. Gold, silver, c...

Wu, Chien-Shiung

(Encyclopedia)Wu, Chien-Shiung chyĕnˈ-shyo͝ongˈ wo͞o [key], 1912–97, Chinese-American physicist. She emigrated to the United States from China in 1936 and received a Ph.D. from the Univ. of California, Berke...

Fischer-Tropsch process

(Encyclopedia)Fischer-Tropsch process fĭshˈər-trōpsh [key], method for the synthesis of hydrocarbons and other aliphatic compounds. Synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, is reacted in the pr...

hydrogen bomb

(Encyclopedia)hydrogen bomb or H-bomb, weapon deriving a large portion of its energy from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes. In an atomic bomb, uranium or plutonium is split into lighter elements that togethe...

Yoshino, Akira

(Encyclopedia)Yoshino, Akira, 1948–, Japanese chemist, Ph.D. Osaka Univ., 2005. He was a researcher at Asahi Kasei Corp. from 1972 to 2017, when he became a professor at Meijo Univ., Nagoya, Japan. Akira received...

nickel

(Encyclopedia)nickel, metallic chemical element; symbol Ni; at. no. 28; at. wt. 58.6934; m.p. about 1,453℃; b.p. about 2,732℃; sp. gr. 8.902 at 25℃; valence 0, +1, +2, +3, or +4. Nickel is a hard, malleable, ...

Norilsk

(Encyclopedia)Norilsk nərēlskˈ [key], city (1989 pop. 175,000), Krasnoyarsk Territory, N Siberian Russia. The northernmost major city of Russia and the world's second largest city (after Murmansk) above the Arct...

flame test

(Encyclopedia)flame test, test used in the identification of certain metals. It is based on the observation that light emitted by any element gives a unique spectrum when passed through a spectroscope. When a salt ...
 

Browse by Subject