napalm

napalm
/nay"pahm/, n.
1. a highly incendiary jellylike substance used in fire bombs, flamethrowers, etc.
v.t.
2. to drop bombs containing napalm on (troops, a city, or the like).
[1940-45, Amer.; NA(PHTHENE) + PALM(ITATE)]

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Organic compound, the aluminum soap or salt of a mixture of fatty acids, used to thicken gasoline for use as an incendiary in flamethrowers and firebombs.

The thickened mixture, itself also called napalm, burns more slowly and can be propelled more accurately and over greater distances than gasoline. When it comes in contact with surfaces, including the human body, it sticks tenaciously and continues to burn. It was developed and first used by the U.S. in World War II. Its use in the Vietnam War became highly controversial.

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 the aluminum salt or soap of a mixture of naphthenic and aliphatic carboxylic acids (organic acids of which the molecular structures contain rings and chains, respectively, of carbon atoms), used to thicken gasoline for use as an incendiary in flamethrowers and fire bombs. The thickened mixture, now also called napalm, burns more slowly and can be propelled more accurately and to greater distances than gasoline. It was developed by U.S. scientists during World War II.

      Napalm is also employed in a pyrotechnic gel containing gasoline and less-volatile petroleum oil, powdered magnesium, and sodium nitrate; this composition burns at a temperature of about 1,000° C (1,800° F), compared to 675° C (1,250° F) for thickened gasoline.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Napalm — Angriff im Vietnamkrieg Napalm ist eine Brandwaffe mit dem Hauptbestandteil Benzin, das mit Hilfe von Zusatzstoffen geliert wird. So wird erreicht, dass Napalm als zähflüssige, klebrige Masse am Ziel haftet und eine starke Brandwirkung entwickelt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Napalm-B — Napalm Angriff im Vietnamkrieg Napalm ist eine Brandwaffe. Es besteht im Wesentlichen aus Benzin, das mit Hilfe von Zusatzstoffen geliert wird. So wird erreicht, dass Napalm als zähflüssige, klebrige Masse am Ziel haftet und eine starke… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • napalm — [ napalm ] n. m. • av. 1943; mot angl. (1942), de na(phtenate) et palm(itate) ♦ Essence solidifiée au moyen du palmitate de sodium ou d aluminium, servant à la fabrication de bombes incendiaires. Bombes au napalm. ● napalm nom masculin (de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • napalm — NAPÁLM s.n. Substanţă cu aspect gelatinos, compusă din săruri de aluminiu, din acizi graşi etc., care, în amestec cu benzina, serveşte la fabricarea bombelor incendiare. – Din fr., engl. napalm. Trimis de claudia, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98 … …   Dicționar Român

  • napalm® — {{hw}}{{napalm®}}{{/hw}}o napalm s. m. inv. Nome commerciale di materiale incendiario a base di sali organici di alluminio, usato per bombe e lanciafiamme …   Enciclopedia di italiano

  • napalm — nàpalm m DEFINICIJA kem. lako zapaljiva smjesa benzina i natrij palmata koja pri izgaranju doseže visoku temperaturu uz snažan plamen SINTAGMA napalm bomba vojn. požarna bomba napunjena napalmom koja se izbacuje iz zrakoplova i bacača plamena,… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • napalm — sustantivo masculino 1. Gel inflamable que se emplea como carga de proyectiles incendiarios: bomba de napalm …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • napalm — ☆ napalm [nā′päm΄ ] n. [ NA(PHTHENE) + PALM(ITATE), constituents used in its manufacture] 1. sodium palmitate or an aluminum soap added to gasoline or oil to form a jellylike substance 2. this substance, used in flame throwers and bombs vt. to… …   English World dictionary

  • napalm — apalm (n[=a] p[aum]m), n. A highly incediary liquid consisting of gasoline jelled with aluminum soaps, used as a weapon of war in fire bombs and flame throwers. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • napalm — Abreviatura de palmitato de naftenato, una forma de gasolina gelificada que se usa como arma de guerra. Diccionario Mosby Medicina, Enfermería y Ciencias de la Salud, Ediciones Hancourt, S.A. 1999 …   Diccionario médico

  • nàpalm — m kem. lako zapaljiva smjesa benzina i natrij palmata koja pri izgaranju doseže visoku temperaturu uz snažan plamen ∆ {{001f}}∼ bomba vojn. požarna bomba napunjena napalmom koja se izbacuje iz zrakoplova i bacača plamena, korištenje protivno… …   Veliki rječnik hrvatskoga jezika

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