GLOSSARY - Archaeological Chemistry - page 468

ceramic body The mixture of clay and nonclay material s, also called a clay paste , that
has properties suitable for making pottery .
ceramic materials Inorganic material s such as pottery , burned brick , and porcelain that
have been made, since antiquity, mainly by firing clay .
chain reaction (1) In chemistry, a series of reactions in which one product of a reac-
tion is a reactant in the following one; (2) in physics, a multistage nuclear reaction in
which neutrons expelled from a radioactive , decaying atom cause the decay of others;
the decay chain is interrupted when a product of the decay is a stable isotope .
chalcedony A semitranslucent form of the mineral quartz ; see agate .
chalkos Ancient Greek name for the alloys of copper ( brass and bronze ).
chamois leather A soft leather that was made since very early antiquity by oil-
tanning the skin of the chamois goat antelope ( Rupricarpa rupicapra ) and at present,
the skin of sheep.
chamoising The ancient name for oil tanning .
chamotte See grog .
charcoal An impure, very porous form of carbon ; it is an excellent fuel that has been
made since early antiquity by burning organic matter , mainly wood , in a reducing
atmosphere .
chemical analysis See analysis , chemical .
chemical compound See compound .
chemical element See element .
chemical equation A symbolic representation of the relationship between the reac-
tants and the products of a chemical reaction .
chemical formula See formula .
chemical group Two or more atoms bonded together as a single unit and forming
part of a molecule .
chemical properties Those properties of substances and materials related to their
interaction with other substances.
chemical reaction A chemical change that takes place when the atoms or molecules
of two or more substances interact with each other and become rearranged,
forming new substances whose properties differ from those of the original ones.
chemical symbols A worldwide conventionally accepted form of chemical notation
that makes use of symbols, made up of one or two letters, to represent the chem-
ical elements .
chemical weathering See weathering , chemical .
chemistry The science that deals with the properties of substances and how sub-
stances react with one another.
China clay See kaolin .
China grass See ramie .
chiral An object that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image.
chiral carbon atom See asymmetric carbon .