
Chemistry | Definition, Topics, Types, History, & Facts | Britannica
2 days ago · Cooking, fermentation, glass making, and metallurgy are all chemical processes that date from the beginnings of civilization. Today, vinyl, Teflon, liquid crystals, semiconductors, and superconductors represent the fruits of chemical technology.
Chemical compound | Definition, Examples, & Types | Britannica
Jun 19, 2025 · All the matter in the universe is composed of the atoms of more than 100 different chemical elements, which are found both in pure form and combined in chemical compounds.
Chemical reaction | Definition, Equations, Examples, & Types
Jul 17, 2025 · Substances are either chemical elements or compounds. A chemical reaction rearranges the constituent atoms of the reactants to create different substances as products.
Chemical element | Definition, Origins, Distribution, & Facts
A chemical element is any substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes. Elements are the fundamental materials of which all matter is composed. Learn more about the origins, distribution, and characteristics of …
Chemical formula | Definition, Types, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
Chemical formula, any of several kinds of expressions of the composition or structure of chemical compounds. The forms commonly encountered are empirical, molecular, structural, and projection formulas.
Luciferase | Definition, Bioluminescence, Enzyme, Reaction, & Facts ...
Jul 19, 2025 · Luciferase, enzyme manufactured in the cells of certain organisms to control bioluminescence. The widespread bioluminescence of such living organisms as fireflies and bacteria is based on the oxidation of a luciferin molecule in …
Adrenochrome | Description, Properties, History, Popular Culture ...
Adrenochrome, unstable chemical compound formed by the oxidation of epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and having the chemical formula C9H9NO3. Its name is a combination of the words adrenaline, referring to its source, and chrome, referring to its having a colour (violet).
Natural gas - Composition, Properties, Uses | Britannica
4 days ago · Natural gas - Composition, Properties, Uses: Natural gas is a hydrocarbon mixture consisting primarily of saturated light paraffins such as methane and ethane, both of which are gaseous under atmospheric conditions. The mixture also may contain other hydrocarbons, such as propane, butane, pentane, and hexane. In natural gas reservoirs even the heavier …
chemical energy - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
The chemical energy in food is converted, or changed, by the body into moving mechanical energy and heat energy. People have invented ways to use the chemical energy of substances to power machines.
Bisphenol A (BPA) | Description, Biological Effects,
Jul 13, 2025 · BPA was first synthesized in 1891, by Russian chemist Aleksandr P. Dianin, who combined phenol with acetone in the presence of an acid catalyst to produce the chemical.