emäksen

Emäksen is the genitive singular form of the Finnish noun emäs, which means base in several scientific contexts. In chemistry, a base is a substance that can accept protons or donate an electron pair, and it is often described in opposition to an acid. Common examples include hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and ammonia, which influence properties like pH and reactivity. In genetics and molecular biology, emäs refers to a nucleobase, one of the building blocks of DNA and RNA (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine in DNA; thymine is replaced by uracil in RNA). The term emäksen is used in phrases that describe properties or characteristics of a base, for example emäksen pH-arvo (the base’s pH value) or emäksen rakenne (the base’s structure).

In Finnish, emäs as a noun is a common term in both everyday science communication and technical writing. The form emäksen functions as the genitive singular, indicating possession or attribution, as in “emäksen ominaisuudet” (the base’s properties) or “emäksen rooli” (the base’s role). This grammatical form helps connect concepts across disciplines, such as chemistry, biochemistry, and genetics.

Related concepts include emäs in its general sense as base, base pair in the context of nucleic acids, and the broader idea of bases in chemistry. The Finnish terminology mirrors the international use of base as a foundational concept in both chemical reactivity and genetic coding.

See also: base (chemistry), nucleobase, emäs.