Faraday
The Faraday (F) is a unit of electrical charge equal to the charge of one mole of electrons, approximately 96,485 coulombs per mole. Named after Michael Faraday, it is a fundamenta…
Chemical Glossary — Letter F
54 chemicals found starting with "F"
Faraday's Law of Electrolysis
Faraday's Laws of Electrolysis describe the relationship between the amount of substance deposited or dissolved at an electrode and the quantity of electric charge passed. The firs…
Faraday's Law Of Electrolysis
Faraday's laws of electrolysis state that the amount of chemical change produced at an electrode is directly proportional to the quantity of electricity passed through the electrol…
Fast Neutron
A fast neutron is a neutron with kinetic energy greater than 1 MeV (megaelectronvolt), typically produced by nuclear fission or fusion reactions. Unlike thermal (slow) neutrons, fa…
Fat
Fats are a subgroup of lipids — naturally occurring triglycerides (triesters of glycerol with three fatty acid molecules). They are solid or semi-solid at room temperature, disting…
Fatty Acids
Fatty acids are long-chain carboxylic acids derived from or contained in animal or vegetable fats. They consist of a hydrocarbon chain with a carboxyl group (–COOH) at one end. Sat…
Fermium
Fermium is a synthetic radioactive actinide named after Enrico Fermi. Also first identified in Ivy Mike test debris in 1952. It is the heaviest element that can be produced in usef…
Ferromagnetism
Ferromagnetism is a phenomenon by which certain materials (iron, nickel, cobalt, and their alloys) become permanently magnetized in the presence of a magnetic field and retain thei…
Film Badge
A film badge is a personal radiation monitoring device worn by workers who may be exposed to ionizing radiation. It contains photographic film that darkens when exposed to radiatio…
Filtration
A separation technique that removes solid particles from a liquid or gas by passing the mixture through a porous material (filter). Simple filtration uses filter paper; vacuum filt…
First Ionisation Energy
The energy required to remove the outermost electron from a neutral gaseous atom, forming a +1 ion. Ionization energies generally increase across a period and decrease down a group…
First Law of Thermodynamics
The First Law of Thermodynamics is a statement of energy conservation: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. For a thermodynamic system, t…
Fission
The splitting of a heavy atomic nucleus (such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239) into two lighter nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy and neutrons. Nuclear fission is the basi…
Flame Test
A qualitative analytical technique used to detect certain metal ions based on the characteristic color they impart to a flame. When metal ions are heated in a flame, electrons beco…
Flammable
Flammable describes materials that ignite easily and burn rapidly. In chemistry and safety contexts, a flammable liquid is defined as one with a flash point below 60°C (140°F). The…
Flash Point
The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a liquid produces sufficient vapor to form an ignitable mixture with air near the surface when exposed to a brief ignition source…
Fleming's Rule
Rules devised by John Ambrose Fleming to determine the direction of current, force, or motion in electromagnetic devices. The left-hand rule applies to motors; the right-hand rule …
Flerovium
Flerovium is a synthetic radioactive element named after the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions in Dubna. Due to relativistic effects it may behave more like a noble gas than a…
Flotation
Flotation is a separation process that exploits differences in surface chemistry to separate particles from each other or from a liquid. In mineral flotation (froth flotation), air…
Fluids
Substances that flow and take the shape of their containers, including both liquids and gases. Fluids exert pressure in all directions and transmit forces through pressure. Fluid m…
Fluorescence
Fluorescence is a type of photoluminescence in which a molecule absorbs light at one wavelength and re-emits light at a longer wavelength (lower energy) almost instantaneously (wit…
Fluoride
A compound containing the fluoride ion (F⁻) or fluorine bonded to another element. Fluorides occur naturally in minerals like fluorite (CaF₂). Sodium fluoride is added to drinking …
Fluorine
Fluorine is the lightest halogen and the most electronegative and reactive of all elements. It is a pale yellow diatomic gas at room temperature. Fluorine forms compounds with almo…
Fluorine
The most electronegative element, with atomic number 9 and symbol F. It is a pale yellow, highly reactive diatomic gas (F₂) and the lightest halogen. Fluorine forms compounds with …
Flux
In chemistry and metallurgy, flux is a substance used to promote the fusion of metals or minerals. It works by dissolving metal oxides and other impurities, lowering the melting po…
Foam
A colloid consisting of gas bubbles dispersed in a liquid or solid. Liquid foams (like shaving foam) are stabilized by surfactants. Solid foams (like styrofoam) have bubbles trappe…
Forbidden Zone
The forbidden zone (also called the band gap) is the energy gap in a crystalline solid between the valence band and the conduction band where no electron states exist. Electrons ca…
Formal Charge
Formal charge is a hypothetical charge assigned to an atom in a molecule, assuming that electrons in all chemical bonds are shared equally between atoms, regardless of electronegat…
Formula
A chemical formula is a symbolic representation of the composition of a chemical compound or element, using element symbols and numerical subscripts. Different types of formulas co…
Formula Mass
The sum of the atomic masses of all atoms in a chemical formula. For ionic compounds, it is called the formula mass rather than molecular mass. For example, the formula mass of NaC…
Formula Unit
A formula unit is the smallest collection of atoms from which the formula of an ionic compound can be established — it represents the empirical formula expressed as a discrete unit…
Formula Weight
Formula weight (FW) is the sum of the atomic weights of all atoms in the chemical formula of a compound, expressed in atomic mass units (amu) or grams per mole (g/mol). It is equiv…
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are energy-rich carbonaceous materials formed over millions of years from the anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The main types are coal, petroleum (cru…
Fractional Crystallisation
A purification technique that separates mixtures of solids based on their different solubilities at various temperatures. As the solution cools, the less soluble substance crystall…
Fractional Distillation
Fractional distillation is a separation technique that separates a mixture of liquids with different boiling points by repeated vaporisation and condensation within a fractionating…
Fractional Distillation
A distillation technique that separates mixtures of liquids with close boiling points using a fractionating column. The column provides multiple equilibrations between vapor and li…
Fractional Precipitation
Fractional precipitation is an analytical and preparative technique that uses a precipitating reagent to selectively separate ions from a solution based on differences in their sol…
Francium
Francium is a highly radioactive alkali metal and the second-rarest naturally occurring element. It occurs only as a decay product of actinium. Its chemistry resembles caesium, tho…
Frasch Process
The Frasch Process is an industrial method for mining elemental sulfur from underground deposits. Developed by Herman Frasch in 1891, it involves pumping superheated water (165°C) …
Free Energy
The thermodynamic potential (Gibbs free energy, G) that measures the maximum work extractable from a system at constant temperature and pressure. ΔG = ΔH - TΔS. Negative ΔG indicat…
Free Energy Change
Free energy change (ΔG) is the thermodynamic quantity that predicts the spontaneity of a process at constant temperature and pressure. It is defined by the Gibbs equation: ΔG = ΔH …
Free Energy Gibbs Free Energy
Gibbs free energy (G) is a thermodynamic potential that measures the maximum reversible work a thermodynamic system can perform at constant temperature and pressure. It combines en…
Free Radical
A free radical is a highly reactive species containing one or more unpaired electrons. Free radicals are produced by homolytic bond cleavage and can participate in chain reactions.…
Free Radical
A highly reactive chemical species containing one or more unpaired electrons. Free radicals are formed by homolytic cleavage of covalent bonds. They initiate chain reactions in com…
Freezing Point
The temperature at which a liquid changes to a solid at a given pressure. For water under standard conditions, the freezing point is 0°C. The freezing point of a solution is lower …
Freezing Point Depression
Freezing point depression is a colligative property in which the freezing point of a solvent is lowered by the addition of a solute. The magnitude of the depression is given by ΔTf…
Frequency
Frequency is the number of complete wave cycles per unit time, measured in hertz (Hz), where 1 Hz = 1 cycle per second. In electromagnetic radiation, frequency (ν) is related to wa…
Frequency
The number of complete wave cycles per unit time, measured in hertz (Hz = cycles per second). For electromagnetic radiation, frequency is related to wavelength by c = λν, where c i…
Fuel Cell
An electrochemical device that converts chemical energy from a fuel (often hydrogen) directly into electricity through an oxidation reaction, without combustion. Fuel cells are mor…
Fuel Cells
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy directly into electrical energy through the reaction of a fuel (typically hydrogen) with an oxidant (typicall…
Fullerenes
Allotropes of carbon consisting of spherical, ellipsoidal, or cylindrical molecules made of carbon atoms arranged in pentagons and hexagons. Buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀, buckyball) w…
Fuming
The emission of visible dense fumes or vapors from a liquid surface at room temperature. Fuming substances include concentrated hydrochloric acid (fuming HCl) and fuming sulfuric a…
Functional Group
A specific group of atoms within a molecule responsible for characteristic chemical reactions of that molecule. Common functional groups include hydroxyl (-OH), carbonyl (C=O), car…
Functional Group
A reactive group of atoms in an organic molecule that determines its chemical properties and reactions. The same functional group undergoes similar reactions regardless of the rest…
About Chemicals Starting With F
This page lists all chemicals in our database beginning with the letter F. Each entry provides the chemical formula, CAS registry number, physical and chemical properties, common uses, and safety information. Use the alphabetical navigation above to browse other letters, or use the search function to find a specific chemical quickly.
Our chemical glossary covers acids, bases, salts, organic compounds, inorganic compounds, solvents, and many more categories. Click on any chemical name to view its full detailed profile.