Glossary - E

electron

An elementary particle.

They are are negatively charged particles with a charge of 1.602E-19 Coulombs - which is numerically the same but opposite in charge to the proton.

elementary particle

The class of particles that are the fundamental building blocks of matter and energy e.g. electrons, protons and neutrons are elementary particles which are the building blocks of matter.

emulsion

An emulsion can be formed from the correct mixture of oil, water and surfactant. In the emulsion phase the oil and water will not separate. Common examples of emulsions include mayonaise and various salad dressings. See also microemulsion.

emulsions :

They are colloidal systems :

A liquid in a liquid colloidal system is called an emulsion.

Emulsions are not usually very stable.

Milk is an example of an oil-in-water emulsion with relatively low levels of oil.

energy

The capacity for doing work

energetically favourable :

If a ball is placed at the top of a hill and given a very small displacement it will tend to move to the bottom of the hill This is because at the bottom the potential energy is a minimum and hence more stable.

entropy

A measure of the disorder in a system.

If your desk is neat and organized - you can say the entropy is low whearas if it is unorganized and there is stuff scattered all over the place you can say the entropy is high.