Carbocations are species bearing a formal + charge on carbon. The have sp2 hybridization and trigonal planar geometry, with an empty p orbital on carbon, perpendicular to the plane containing the substituents (see diagrams shown to the right).
Aortic cross-clamp. An aortic cross-clamp is a surgical instrument used in cardiac surgery to clamp the aorta and separate the systemic circulation from the outflow of the heart. An aortic cross-clamping procedure serves, for example, in the repairing of coarctation of the aorta.
Patch clamp. The patch clamp technique is a laboratory technique in electrophysiology that allows the study of single or multiple ion channels in cells. The technique can be applied to a wide variety of cells, but is especially useful in the study of excitable cells such as neurons, cardiomyocytes, muscle fibers, and pancreatic beta cells.