Chemical Building Blocks - Describing Matter Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards based on the key terms and definitions in the Chemical Building Blocks 1.1 section on Describing Matter.

Chemistry

The study of the properties of matter and how matter changes.

Physical property

A trait or characteristic of a pure substance that can be observed without changing it into another substance.

Chemical property

A trait of a pure substance that describes its ability to change into a new substance or show what substances it can change into.

Element

A pure substance that cannot be broken down into any other substances by chemical or physical means.

Atom

The main particle that elements are made from, serving as the basic particle of an element.

Molecule

A particle formed when two or more atoms combine.

Compound

A pure substance with multiple elements combined chemically in a specific ratio.

Mixture

Made of two or more substances that are not combined chemically in a set ratio.

Chemical bond

The force of attraction between two atoms.

Chemical formula

A formula that tells the elements and ratio of atoms in a compound.

Heterogeneous mixture

A mixture in which you can see the different parts.

Matter

Anything that has mass and takes up space.

Substance

A single kind of matter that is pure.