Nuclear Reactions and Bonding in Chemistry

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to nuclear reactions, bonding, molecular structure, and the interactions of atoms, designed to aid study for exams in chemistry.

Strong Nuclear Force

The force that holds nucleons (protons and neutrons) together in the nucleus.

Coulombic Barrier

The repulsive force between positively charged protons that must be overcome for fusion to occur.

Binding Energy

The energy released when mass is converted into energy during nuclear reactions.

Mass Defect

The difference in mass between the total mass of separate nucleons and the mass of the nucleus itself.

E=mc^2

Einstein's equation that describes the equivalence of mass and energy.

Fission

The process of splitting heavy nuclei into lighter, more stable nuclei, releasing energy.

Radioactive Decay

The process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation.

Molecular Orbitals

Regions in a molecule where electrons are likely to be found, formed by the combination of atomic orbitals.

Sigma Bond

A covalent bond formed by the head-on overlap of atomic orbitals.

Antibonding Orbital

A molecular orbital that results from the destructive interference of atomic orbitals, destabilizing the molecule.

Hybrid Orbitals

Orbitals that are formed by mixing atomic orbitals to create new orbitals suitable for bonding.

Delocalized Electrons

Electrons that are not associated with a single atom or bond and can move freely over a structure.

Emergent Properties

Properties that arise from the interactions and bonding between multiple atoms.

Tetrahedral Geometry

The shape formed when four bonds are arranged symmetrically around a central atom, with bond angles of about 109 degrees.

Trigonal Planar Geometry

The geometry formed when an atom is bonded to three other atoms in a plane, with bond angles of 120 degrees.

London Dispersion Forces

Weak intermolecular forces arising from the electron cloud distribution around molecules.

Electrostatic Interaction

The attractive or repulsive force between charged particles.

Exothermic Reactions

Reactions that release energy, often in the form of heat, to the surroundings.

Avogadro's Number

6.022 x 10^23, the number of particles in one mole of a substance.