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.
Voltage clamp. The voltage clamp is an experimental method used by electrophysiologists to measure the ion currents through the membranes of excitable cells, such as neurons, while holding the membrane voltage at a set level.