Basic and Inorganic Chemistry Notes

Matter

Anything that occupies space and has mass. It constitutes the physical "stuff" of the universe.

States of Matter

Matter exists in three primary states: solid, liquid, or gas.

Mass

The quantification of the amount of a substance.

Weight

The measure of mass under the influence of gravity.

Element

Fundamental units of matter that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical means.

Composition of living organisms

Approximately 96% is composed of four primary elements: Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N), and Carbon (C).

Atoms

The basic building blocks of elements.

Atomic Number

Equal to the total number of protons present in the atom's nucleus.

Mass Number

Equal to the combined sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

Isotope

Structural variations of an element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Radioisotope

A heavy isotope that is unstable and spontaneously decomposes into a more stable atomic form.

Chemical Bonding

The interaction between atoms that leads to the formation of chemical compounds.

Ionic Bond

Formed via attractive electrostatic forces between oppositely charged ions.

Covalent Bond

Occurs when atoms attain stability by directly sharing electrons.

Hydrogen Bond

Weak chemical attractions formed between a partially positive hydrogen atom in one molecule and a partially negative region in another molecule.

Molecule

Two or more atoms of the same or different elements joined together by chemical bonds.

Compound

Substances composed specifically of two or more different elements combined chemically.

Solution

A mixture consisting of two or more components that are physically intermixed without being chemically bound.

Acid

A substance that releases hydrogen ions (H+) in solution.

Base

A substance that binds and neutralizes free hydrogen ions (H+) in water.

pH Scale

Quantifies the concentration of free hydrogen ions in a solution, ranging from 0 to 14.

Buffer

Specialized chemical compounds that stabilize pH by accepting or releasing H+.