Friday, March 10, 2023

Geminal



The term "geminal" has several meanings depending on the context. Here are a few possible definitions: In chemistry, "geminal" refers to two identical functional groups or atoms bonded to the same carbon atom. For example, in the molecule 2,2-dimethylpropane, the two methyl groups attached to the central carbon atom are geminal. In crystallography, "geminal" refers to two symmetry-related atoms or groups that occupy equivalent positions in a crystal structure. This means that they are related by a symmetry operation such as a rotation, reflection, or inversion. In linguistics, "geminal" can refer to a consonant sound that is pronounced with a longer duration than its non-geminal counterpart. For example, in Arabic, the letter "t" has a geminal variant (written as "tt"), which is pronounced with a longer duration than the non-geminal "t". In mathematics, "geminal" is not a commonly used term. However, in some contexts, it might refer to a pair of numbers that are "twin primes" (i.e., prime numbers that differ by 2), since they are closely related or "geminate" in a sense.




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