acidic: An adjective for materials that contain acid. Acidic materials often are capable of dissolving away some minerals such as carbonate, or preventing their formation in the first place.
alkaline: An adjective that describes a chemical that produces hydroxide ions (OH-) in a solution. These solutions are also referred to as basic — as in the opposite of acidic — and have a pH above 7.
antibiotic: A germ-killing substance, usually prescribed as a medicine (or sometimes as a feed additive to promote the growth of livestock). It does not work against viruses.
anticoagulant: A term for materials (often medicines) that slow or prevent blood-clotting in the body. Doctors may prescribe such materials for people whose blood has a tendency to clot inside blood vessels. Clots there can risk obstructing the flow of blood. In the heart, such obstructions can lead to heart attacks.
bacteria: (singular: bacterium) Single-celled organisms. These dwell nearly everywhere on Earth, from the bottom of the sea to inside other living organisms (such as plants and animals). Bacteria are one of the three domains of life on Earth.
biodegradable: Adjective for something that is able to break down into simpler materials, based on the activity of microbes. This usually occurs in the presence of water, sunlight or other conditions that help nurture those organisms.
bleach: A dilute form of the liquid, sodium hypochlorite, that is used around the home to lighten and brighten fabrics, to remove stains or to kill germs. Or it can mean to lighten something permanently, such as: Being in constant sunlight bleached most of the rich coloring out of the window drapes.
coagulate: (n. coagulation and coagulant) It’s a term for the process by which blood clots. This can prevents excessive bleeding (a hemorrhage) when a blood vessel ruptures. Cells known as platelets work along with proteins in plasma (your blood’s yellowy liquid) to stop bleeding by forming a…
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