Meanings
plural F-centers
- chemistryA type of point defect in crystals where an anion (negative ion) vacancy in the lattice traps one or more electrons, creating a localized site that absorbs specific wavelengths of light, thereby coloring the typically transparent material (e.g. the yellowing of NaCl due to trapped electrons in missing chloride sites); defects that form due to irradiation (e.g. X-rays), heat, or alkali metal vapor treatment and can be removed by annealing.
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Synonyms: Farbe center, color center
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA type of point defect in crystals where an anion (negative ion) vacancy in the lattice traps one or more electrons, creating a localized site that absorbs specific wavelengths of light, thereby coloring the typically transparent material (e.g. the yellowing of NaCl due to trapped electrons in missing chloride sites); defects that form due to irradiation (e.g. X-rays), heat, or alkali metal vapor treatment and can be removed by annealing.
Origin
F (from German Farbe, from Farbzentrum) + center.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
F-center. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/F-center
“F-center.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/F-center. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “F-center,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/F-center.
Source: F-center on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.