General Chemistry 003 - Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, classifications of matter, measurement concepts, error types, and defined constants from Chapter 1 of General Chemistry 003.

Pure Substance

Matter having an invariant chemical composition and distinct properties.

Mixture

Matter consisting of two or more pure substances that retain their individual identities and can be separated by physical methods.

Element

A fundamental pure substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical methods.

Compound

A pure substance composed of two or more elements in fixed proportions that can be separated into simpler substances and elements only by chemical methods.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture having a uniform composition and properties throughout, also referred to as a solution.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture that is not uniform in composition and properties throughout.

Solid

A state of matter characterized by a definite volume and a definite shape.

Liquid

A state of matter characterized by a definite volume but no fixed shape.

Gas

A state of matter characterized by having neither a fixed shape nor a fixed volume.

Physical Properties

Properties of a substance that can be observed without changing its identity or chemical composition, such as mass, color, volume, conductivity, and melting point.

Chemical Properties

Characteristics describing how a substance may change or react to form other substances, such as reactivity and flammability.

Extensive Property

A property that depends on the amount of substance present, such as mass or volume.

Intensive Property

A property that is independent of the amount of substance present, such as color or melting point.

Precision

The reproducibility of measurements or how close multiple measurements are to one another.

Accuracy

How close a measured value is to the real or true value.

Systematic Error

An error where experimental values are consistently all higher or all lower than the actual value, typically caused by instrument error.

Random Error

An error where values fluctuate above or below the actual value, typically caused by user error or improper technique.

Absolute Zero

The zero point of the Kelvin temperature scale ($0\,\text{K}$, $-273.15\,^\circ\text{C}$, or $-460\,^\circ\text{F}$), below which no lower temperature exists.

Planck Constant ($h$)

A fundamental constant equal to exactly $6.62607015 \times 10^{-34}\,\text{J}\,\text{s}$.

Elementary Charge ($e$)

A fundamental constant equal to exactly $1.602176634 \times 10^{-19}\,\text{C}$.

Boltzmann Constant ($k$)

A fundamental constant equal to exactly $1.380649 \times 10^{-23}\,\text{J}\,\text{K}^{-1}$.

Avogadro Constant ($N_A$)

A fundamental constant equal to exactly $6.02214076 \times 10^{23}\,\text{mol}^{-1}$.

Distillation

A physical separation method used to purify liquids based on differences in boiling points using a distilling flask, burner, and condenser.

Chromatography

A physical method of separation where components of a mixture are adsorbed to different degrees on a solid stationary phase as a solvent flows.

Electrolysis

A chemical method of separation that uses electrical energy to decompose a compound into its constituent elements, such as converting liquid $H_2O(l)$ into gaseous $O_2(g)$ and $H_2(g)$.