Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2022 November 18

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November 18

GSF prefix to a vessel name

What does GSF stand for when preceding a ship's name?

I found the acronym in the Glomar Explorer article, but it's not explained there. I failed to identify the appropriate meaning in DAB GSF, either. I found it also in GSF Development Driller II, similarly without an explanation. I asked TheFreeDictionary (https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/GSF), but that seems futile as well. --CiaPan (talk) 12:46, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

I'm fairly certain it refers to GlobalSantaFe Corporation, an oceanic oil exploration and drilling company. --Jayron32 13:10, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

phosphorus esters

I am not sure what phosphorus esters (as used by US EPA) is supposed to be exactly. Phosphate esters? Phosphite esters? Something else? --Leyo 22:34, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

I would guess (and it is a guess!) they mean organophosphates#Pesticides since that's the most common class that the EPA regulates. There are lots of such calculation packages but all the compounds that reach the market have to use measured data for their hydrolysis rates. See parathion at the PPDB for an example. Mike Turnbull (talk) 23:07, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

It seems to me that phosphorus is a misspelling of the adjective phosphorous. Here EPA's HYDROWIN is mentioned as estimating "hydrolysis based on esters, ... and phosphorous esters only".  --Lambiam 08:04, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

Thank you. I've now checked the Phosphate Help of EPI Suite, in which the following is stated (incl. the spelling error in the 3rd word):

The HYDROWIN phoshporus compound update was limited to organic phosphorus compounds with the following structures:
       R1          R1
       |           |
     O=P-R2      S=P-R2
       |           |
       R3          R3
where R1, R2 and R3 are substituents with the first atom being carbon, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, or halogen.

Hence, phosphorus esters is used for the group of phosphates, phosphonates, thiophosphates and other organophosphorus compounds that are esters. --Leyo 11:15, 21 November 2022 (UTC)