Chemistry: An Atoms-Focused Approach - Chapter 1

Vocabulary words from the 4th edition of Chemistry: An Atoms-Focused Approach

Atom

the smallest particle of an element that cannot be chemically or mechanically divided into smaller particles

Scientific Theory

a concise, extensively tested explanation widely observed natural phenomena

Element

a pure substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances

Compound

a pure substance composed of two or more elements that are chemically bonded in fixed proportion

Scientific methods

approaches to acquiring knowledge by observing phenomena, developing a testable hypothesis, and carrying out additional experiments that test the validity of the hypothesis

Scientific laws

a concise and generally applicable statement of a fundamental scientific principle

Law of definite proportions

the principle that a compound always contains the same proportion of its component elements