Properties of Matter and Chemical Reactions Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering physical and chemical properties, changes, chemical equations, conservation of mass, and thermodynamics based on the chemistry notes.

Pure Sodium ($Na$)

A soft, silvery-white metal in its standard state.

Synthetic Material

A human-engineered substance produced through deliberate laboratory or industrial chemical synthesis.

Chemical Compound

A substance formed when two distinct elements chemically bond together, exhibiting entirely new physical and chemical properties compared to its original elements.

Table Salt ($NaCl$)

A chemical compound produced by the chemical combination of the elements sodium and chlorine.

Element

A pure substance consisting entirely of one type of atom, such as oxygen gas ($O_2$).

Ammonia ($NH_3$)

A compound gas represented by the chemical formula $2NH_3$ (or $NH_3$).

Physical Properties

Characteristics of matter that can be observed or measured without changing the substance's chemical identity.

Chemical Properties

Traits that describe a substance's ability to undergo a change that transforms it into a brand-new substance.

Flammability

A chemical property describing the ability of a substance to burn or ignite when exposed to an open flame.

Reactivity with Acid

A chemical property demonstrated when baking soda bubbles vigorously upon mixing with vinegar.

Thermal Conductivity

A property possessed in high amounts by metal cookware, allowing heat to move through it rapidly.

Ductility

The physical property that allows pure gold to be drawn into microscopic, ultra-thin electrical wires without snapping.

Solubility

The physical property demonstrated when sugar crystals dissolve completely into hot water.

Intensive Property

A property that does not depend on the total amount of the sample present, such as color, melting point, or density.

Density Formula

The mathematical formula defined as $\text{Density} = \frac{\text{Mass}}{\text{Volume}}$ ($D = \frac{M}{V}$).

Graduated Cylinder

The primary laboratory device used to measure liquid volume most precisely.

Pure Substance Identification

An indication determined when multiple samples of an unknown solid melt at the exact same sharp temperature.

Zinc

An unknown metal identified by reference charts that remains solid at $350\,^\circ\text{C}$, has a density greater than $6\,g/cm^3$, and burns with a blue flame.

Iron Oxide

The chemical name for the reddish-brown rust that forms when iron bonds with oxygen atoms.

Physical Change

A change in shape, form, or state of matter where the core chemical identity remains unchanged (e.g., folding paper, cutting bread, melting ice).

Silver Sulfide

A dark coating formed on polished silver after undergoing a chemical change from exposure to sulfur in the air.

Chemical Change

A process where a new chemical substance is produced and cannot be easily undone (e.g., burning paper into ash and smoke).

Reactants

The starting substances located on the left side of the arrow in a standard chemical equation.

Products

The final substances formed at the end of a chemical reaction, located on the right side of the yield arrow.

Yield Arrow ($\rightarrow$)

The symbol written in the middle of a chemical equation that mathematically represents 'produces' or 'yields'.

Coefficient

The number written in front of a chemical formula (such as the 2 in $2H_2O$) that indicates the total number of molecules present.

Subscript

The smaller number written inside a chemical formula (such as the 3 in $2NH_3$) indicating the number of atoms of that element in each molecule.

Law of Conservation of Mass

A scientific law stating that matter can neither be created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction, requiring total reactant mass to equal total product mass.

Balanced Chemical Equation

An equation containing an equal number of atoms of each element on both the reactant and product sides of the arrow.

Exothermic Reaction

A chemical reaction during which internal thermal energy is released out into the surrounding environment.

Endothermic Reaction

A chemical process in which thermal energy is absorbed from the surroundings, causing the temperature of the reaction mixture to drop.