Terms used and their Meanings



Adherence [: Steady or faithful attachment]



Adsorb [: to attract and hold to the surface substances or liquids]



Absorb [: to take-up or draw something into itself through pores or interstices]



Adsorbent [: Usually a solid substance that adsorbs another substance]



Absorbent [: Able to absorb (as absorbent as a sponge)]



Amino functional [: attach themselves to a surface via a physical bond



Anhydrous [: an anhydrous material does not contain any water (H2O) molecules.



Aerobic cure [: exposure to air]



Aliphatic hydrocarbons [: alkanes - trade name – Paint Thinner]



Anionic surfactant [: a molecule that consists of a hydrophobic hydrocarbon and a hydrophobic ion forming a structure called a micelle]





Bonds- all bonds (except for James) arise from the attraction of unlike charges according to Coulomb`s law; however, depending on the atoms involved, this force manifests itself in quite different ways.

The principal types of chemical bond are; Ionic, Covalent (molecular), Metallic, and Hydrogen bonds. Two non-metal atoms usually form a covalent bond; a metal and a non-metal atom usually form ionic bond





Catalyst [: a substance serving as the agent in catalysis. [The speeding up or, sometimes slowing down of a chemical reaction by adding a substance which itself is not changed]



Chelators [: control the concentration or effect of metal ions] (see also sequester)



Colloid: [atoms in the colloid lift separate and hold in suspension]



Covalent [: a chemical bond formed between atoms by the sharing of electrons]



Cross-linking [: is the attachment of two chains of polymer molecules by bridges, composed of either an element, a group, or a compound, that join certain carbon atoms of the chains by primary chemical bonds



Cationic [: characterized by an active and especially surface-active cation <a cationic polymer resin>



Copolymer [: a polymer derived from two (or more) monomeric species, as opposed to a ````polymer where only one monomer is used]



Centripetal force [: a force that makes a body follows a curved path]



Centrifugal force [: the effects of inertia that arise with rotation as an outward force away from the centre of rotation.]





Durability [: able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration]



Dwell [: Time required for chemicals to react]



Dew Point [: The dew point temperature is the temperature at which the air can no longer hold all of its water vapour, and some of the water vapour must condense into liquid water]





Etching -requires heat, moisture, an oxidizer and an acid]



Evaporate [: to change (a liquid or solid) into vapour]



Emulsification [: the process by which emulsions are prepared.



Emulsion [: is colloidal system in which the dispersed and continuous phases are both liquids (e.g. oil in water or water in oil). Such systems require an emulsifying agent to stabilize the dispersed particles.]





Hydrophilic [: having a strong tendency to bind or absorb water, which results in swelling and formation of reversible gels.



Hydrophobic [: antagonistic to water, incapable of dissolving in water]



Hygroscopic [: readily taking up and retaining moisture]



Hydrolysis [: a chemical reaction or process in which a chemical compound reacts with water]

Hydration reaction [: increasing the acidity of the solution] i.e. dilution causes the pH to decrease







Isocyanate [: a functional group of atoms –N=C=O (1 nitrogen, 1 carbon, 1 oxygen) [: is a chemical that`s found in most hardeners/activators] (polyurethane clear coat)]



Inches water gauge (ins.wg) [: sometimes incorrectly labelled as water lift; is used to signify the power available for a vacuum cleaner. By placing a tube that is marked of in inches at a given height while the other end of the tube is placed in a water bowl; the amount of ‘lift’ or vacuum power available is shown by how far up the tube the vacuum can lift the column of water



Layer [: one thickness, course, or fold laid or lying over or under another]





Molecule [: the smallest particle of a substance that retains all the properties of the substance and is composed of one or more atoms]



Miscible [: capable of being mixed]



Micelle [: an electrically charged colloidal particle, usually organic in nature, composed of aggregates of large molecules, e.g., in soaps and surfactants. For aqueous solutions, the hydrophilic end of the molecule is on the surface of the micelle, while the hydrophobic end (often a hydrocarbon chain) points toward the centre.



Melting point (or freezing point) [: is the temperature at which the solid and liquid phases of a substance are in equilibrium at a specified pressure (normally taken to be atmospheric unless stated otherwise]





Nanotechnology [:The particles are up to a 1000 times denser which makes for an ultra durable hard wearing surface. Technically most detailing product particulates are not nano metre in size, although they are extremely small, as the term ‘nano’ adequately describes]





Paint film [: a term used to describe a paint-build on a surface]



Paint flash time [: Flash refers to the waiting period it takes the solvents to evaporate from the paint before applying another coat.



Paint Polishes and Protective Coatings

• Compound – an aggressive grade of polish used to remove deeper scratches and for paint renovation

• Polish – an abrasive compound that removes impurities provides shine and prepares it for a wax or sealant protection.

• Paint Cleaner – contains a very mild polishing agent (i.e. Kaolin (China clay) or Diatomaceous earth ) that is used to clean a paint surface and provide protection, but they will not remove ingrained surface scratches

• Glaze – used by detailers for show car to obtain maximum light reflection. They produce a “wet" look to the surface with oils to maximize surface gloss and may contain fillers (Kaolin or China clay) to hide minor defects not removed by polishing or for use when the paint is thin and you don`t want to remove any more, even if it is microns. They will provide little if any surface protection.

• Wax – an organic or synthetic protective coating that is applied to the exterior surface of an automobile to improve shine and prevent oxidation

• Sealant – a polymer sealant comprises an open linked molecule, which forms a bond with the paint, this is the main reason for their durability; these open linked polymer molecules join together to create an elongated mesh like effect that reflects light efficiently due to their inherent flat surface. Because they are usually very transparent they transmit the surface colour faithfully, but they have very little depth resulting in what is perceived as a very bright, flat silver glow]



Polymers [: a chemical compound with many repeating structural units]



Phase change [: when a substance changes from solid to liquid it stays at the same temperature but absorbs or gives up heat.



pH [: potential of hydrogen]



Polyethylene; a thermoplastic [: a polymer consisting of long chains of the monomer ethylene] (Polythene UK)



Precursor [: (chemistry), a compound that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound]





Reflectance [: To prevent passage of and cause to change direction, as in’ a mirror reflects light’]



Reactivity [acceleration of a chemical reaction by a catalyst]



Re-hydration [: the replenishment of water and electrolytes lost through dehydration]





Soluble [: capable of being dissolved or liquefied]



Sinter [: cause to become a coherent mass by heating without melting]



Sequester [: to hold (as a metallic ion) in solution usually by inclusion in an appropriate coordination complex]



Surfactant [: Defined as a material that can greatly reduce the surface tension of water when used in very low concentrations] the term surfactant is a blend of "Surface active agent".]



Surface tension [: derived from force or energy considerations is that at equilibrium a fluid forms a set angle, V with any solid surface touching the fluid.



Surface marring [: to inflict damage, especially disfiguring damage; a blemish.



Saponifiers [: to hydrolyse (a fat) with alkali to form a soap]



Solvent [: fluid phase (liquid, gas, or plasma) that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. The most common solvent in everyday life is water]



Sorption [: refers to the action of absorption or adsorption;



*Absorption is the incorporation of a substance in one state into another of a different state (e.g. liquids being absorbed by a solid or gases being absorbed by a liquid).



*Adsorption is the physical adherence or bonding of ions and molecules onto the surface of another phase (e.g. reagents adsorbed to solid catalyst surface)]



Synergistic compatibility [: each step building upon the results achieved by the previous product/ process]



Silicones [: are polymeric or algometric siloxanes, usually considered un-branched]



Siloxanes [: are saturated silicon-oxygen hydrides with un-branched or branched chains of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms (-Si-O-Si-)]



Standard Test Conditions: [: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard test conditions – 68. °F +/- 5. °F, 50% +/- 5%, relative humidity, still air and an absolute pressure of 14.696 psi]





Transpiration [: the passage of watery vapour through the skin or through any membrane or pore]

Urethane or polyurethanes [: are produced by a reaction with liquid isocyanate with a liquid blend of polyols, catalyst, and other additives. These two components are referred to as a polyurethane system]



Van der Waals forces: [temporary fluctuating dipole and dipole-dipole interactions causing attractions between individual molecules]