Gadolinium
Gadolinium is a silvery-white rare earth metal, atomic number 64. Has the highest thermal neutron absorption cross-section of any stable element. Paramagnetic at room temperature w…
Chemical Glossary — Letter G
40 chemicals found starting with "G"
Gallium
Gallium is a soft, silvery metal, atomic number 31. Famous for melting just above room temperature (29.8 C) - it melts in the palm of your hand. Gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium…
Galvanic Cell
An electrochemical cell that converts chemical energy from a spontaneous redox reaction into electrical energy. Also called a voltaic cell. Consists of two half-cells connected by …
Galvanizing
The process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron to prevent rusting. Hot-dip galvanizing immerses the metal in molten zinc. Electrogalvanizing uses electrodeposit…
Gamma Radiation
High-energy electromagnetic radiation emitted from the nucleus of a radioactive atom during nuclear decay. Gamma rays have very short wavelengths (
Gamma Ray
Gamma rays are high-energy electromagnetic radiation emitted by atomic nuclei during radioactive decay or nuclear reactions, having no mass and no charge. They have the highest ene…
gamma-Aminobutyric acid
Gamma-aminobutyric acid is a gamma-amino acid that is butanoic acid with the amino substituent located at C-4. It has a role as a neurotransmitter, a signalling molecule, a Sacchar…
Gamma-butyrolactone
Gamma-butyrolactone is a butan-4-olide that is tetrahydrofuran substituted by an oxo group at position 2. It has a role as a metabolite and a neurotoxin.
Gangue
Gangue is the commercially worthless material that surrounds, or is closely mixed with, a wanted mineral in an ore deposit. It must be separated from the ore mineral during mining …
Gas
One of the fundamental states of matter characterized by molecules moving freely with weak intermolecular forces. Gases expand to fill their containers, are highly compressible, an…
Gay-Lussac's Law
The law stating that the pressure of a fixed amount of gas at constant volume is directly proportional to its absolute temperature (P ∝ T). Also refers to the law of combining volu…
Geiger Counter
A Geiger counter (Geiger-Müller counter) is an instrument for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation. It consists of a gas-filled tube (usually helium, neon, or argon with a ha…
Gel
A colloid in which a liquid is dispersed within a solid or semi-solid matrix, forming a jelly-like substance. Gels have properties between a solid and a liquid. Examples include ge…
Gem-Dimethyl Group
A gem-dimethyl group (geminal dimethyl group) consists of two methyl groups attached to the same carbon atom. The prefix "gem" comes from the Latin "geminus" meaning twin. This str…
Geometrical Isomers
Geometrical isomers (also called cis-trans isomers or E/Z isomers) are stereoisomers that differ in the spatial arrangement of substituents around a double bond or ring system. In …
Geraniol
Geraniol is a monoterpenoid consisting of two prenyl units linked head-to-tail and functionalised with a hydroxy group at its tail end. It has a role as a volatile oil component, a…
Germanium
Germanium is a lustrous, hard metalloid, atomic number 32. Its existence was predicted by Mendeleev (as eka-silicon) before its discovery in 1886. Important semiconductor material …
Gibbs Free Energy
A thermodynamic state function (G) that predicts the spontaneity of a process at constant temperature and pressure: ΔG = ΔH - TΔS. A negative ΔG indicates a spontaneous process; po…
Gluconic acid
D-gluconic acid is a gluconic acid having D-configuration. It has a role as a chelator and a Penicillium metabolite. It is a conjugate acid of a D-gluconate. It is an enantiomer of…
Glucosamine
2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose is a D-glucosamine whose structure comprises D-glucopyranose having an amino substituent at position 2. It has a role as a geroprotector, a mouse me…
Glutaraldehyde
Glutaraldehyde is a dialdehyde comprised of pentane with aldehyde functions at C-1 and C-5. It has a role as a disinfectant, a cross-linking reagent and a fixative.
Glutaric acid
Glutaric acid is an alpha,-dicarboxylic acid that is a linear five-carbon dicarboxylic acid. It has a role as a human metabolite and a Daphnia magna metabolite. It is a dicarboxyli…
Glycerol
Glycerol is a triol with a structure of propane substituted at positions 1, 2 and 3 by hydroxy groups. It has a role as a geroprotector, an osmolyte, a detergent, a solvent, a mous…
Glyceryl trinitrate
Nitroglycerin is a nitroglycerol that is glycerol in which the hydrogen atoms of all three hydroxy groups are replaced by nitro groups. It acts as a prodrug, releasing nitric oxide…
Glycine
Glycine is the simplest (and the only achiral) proteinogenic amino acid, with a hydrogen atom as its side chain. It has a role as a neurotransmitter, a micronutrient, a nutraceutic…
Glycolic acid
Glycolic acid is a 2-hydroxy monocarboxylic acid that is acetic acid where the methyl group has been hydroxylated. It has a role as a metabolite and a keratolytic drug. It is a pri…
Glyoxal
Glyoxal is the dialdehyde that is the smallest possible and which consists of ethane having oxo groups on both carbons. It has a role as a pesticide, a plant growth regulator, an a…
Gold
Gold is a bright, dense, malleable precious metal, atomic number 79. The most malleable and ductile pure metal. Chemically unreactive - resists corrosion and oxidation. Used as cur…
Graham's Law
Graham's law of effusion states that the rate of effusion (or diffusion) of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molar mass. Mathematically, rate₁/rate₂ = √(M₂…
Graham's Law
Graham's law of effusion states that the rate of effusion or diffusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molar mass. Lighter gases diffuse faster than he…
Gravimetric Analysis
A quantitative analytical method that determines the amount of a substance by measuring mass. A component is separated from a sample (usually by precipitation) and weighed precisel…
Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is the process by which greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere absorb and re-emit infrared radiation, warming the planet's surface. Without any greenhouse eff…
Ground State
The ground state is the lowest energy state of an atom, molecule, or quantum mechanical system. In the ground state, electrons occupy the lowest available orbitals according to the…
Ground State
The lowest energy state of an atom, ion, or molecule in which all electrons occupy the lowest available energy levels. Ground state configurations follow the Aufbau principle, Hund…
Group
In the periodic table, a group (or family) is a vertical column containing elements with the same number of valence electrons and similar chemical properties. There are 18 groups i…
Group
A vertical column in the periodic table. Elements in the same group have the same number of valence electrons, similar electron configurations, and similar chemical properties. Gro…
Grubbs catalyst
Grubbs catalyst (C43H74Cl2P2Ru+2) is a laboratory reagent. It has a molecular weight of 825.0 g/mol. Its IUPAC name is benzylidene(dichloro)ruthenium;bis(tricyclohexylphosphanium).
Guanidine
Guanidine is an aminocarboxamidine, the parent compound of the guanidines. It is a member of guanidines, a carboxamidine and a one-carbon compound. It is a conjugate base of a guan…
Guanine
Guanine is a 2-aminopurine carrying a 6-oxo substituent. It has a role as a mouse metabolite, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite, an Escherichia coli metabolite, a human metabol…
Guanosine
Guanosine is a purine nucleoside in which guanine is attached to ribofuranose via a beta-N9-glycosidic bond. It has a role as a fundamental metabolite. It is a purines D-ribonucleo…
About Chemicals Starting With G
This page lists all chemicals in our database beginning with the letter G. 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.