Introduction to Chemistry Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the introductory concepts of chemistry, classification of matter, properties, changes, and separation techniques.

Chemistry

The study of the composition, structure, and properties of matter and the changes it undergoes.

Chemical

Any substance that has a definite composition.

Organic chemistry

The study of carbon-containing compounds.

Inorganic chemistry

The study of all substances and compounds that do not contain carbon.

Physical chemistry

The study of the properties and changes of matter and their relation to energy.

Analytical chemistry

The study of the identification of the components and composition of materials.

Biochemistry

The study of substances and processes occurring in living things.

Matter

Anything that has mass and takes up space.

Mass

A measure of the amount of matter.

Volume

The amount of three-dimensional space an object occupies.

Substance

A form of matter which has a specific composition and specific properties.

Pure substance

A form of matter that consists only of one element or one compound.

Mixture

A combination of two or more different substances that are not chemically joined together.

Element

A pure substance consisting of a single type of atom with the same number of protons that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical methods.

Compound

A substance made from two or more different elements that have been chemically joined.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture with a uniform composition where the components are not easily distinguished, such as air, blood plasma, or alloys like Brass.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture consists of two or more phases where the substances are not uniformly mixed, such as oil and water or sand and gravel.

Atom

The smallest unit of a pure substance and the basic building block of matter that retains the properties of that substance.

Molecule

Two or more atoms that are chemically joined together, such as $H_2$, $O_2$, or $H_2O$.

Extensive properties

Properties that depend on the amount of matter present, such as volume, mass, and the amount of energy.

Intensive properties

Properties that do not depend on the amount of matter present, such as melting point, boiling point, density, and color.

Physical property

A characteristic that can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the substance.

Chemical property

A characteristic of a substance that can be described through a chemical change only.

Physical Change

A change that only affects the physical properties of a substance, such as shape or size, without changing its chemical composition.

Chemical Change

A process that causes a substance to change into a new substance with a new chemical formula; also known as a chemical reaction.

Reactants

The substances that react in a chemical change.

Products

The substances that are formed by a chemical change.

Precipitate

An insoluble solid that forms and settles out of a liquid mixture during a chemical reaction.

Supernate

The remaining liquid found above a precipitate after a reaction has occurred.

Solid

A state of matter with definite volume and definite shape where particles are close together in a regular pattern.

Liquid

A state of matter with a definite volume but an indefinite shape where particles can move around each other.

Gas

A state of matter with neither definite volume nor definite shape where particles move quickly in all directions.

Plasma

A high-temperature ionized gas consisting of equal numbers of positive and negative charges that conducts electricity; the most common state of matter in the universe.

Filtration

A separation method used to separate an insoluble solid from a liquid.

Crystallization

A separation method used to separate a soluble solid from a solution.

Simple distillation

A technique used to separate a solvent from a solution or two liquids with different boiling points.

Fractional distillation

A technique used to separate one or more liquids from a mixture of liquids.

Chromatography

A separation method used for colored soluble substances.