Solution Vocabulary

Element

A pure substance made of only one kind of atom. Examples: oxygen (O), gold (Au).

Compound

A substance formed when two or more different elements are chemically bonded together. Example: water (H₂O).

Mixture

A combination of two or more substances that are not chemically bonded and can be separated by physical means. Example: salad, air.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture where the different parts can be seen and are not evenly mixed. Example: trail mix, sand and iron filings.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture that looks the same throughout; the substances are evenly mixed. Example: saltwater, air.

Suspension

A heterogeneous mixture where solid particles are large enough to settle out over time. Example: muddy water.

Ore

A naturally occurring rock or mineral from which a useful metal or mineral can be extracted. Example: bauxite (aluminum ore).

Solution

A homogeneous mixture where one substance (solute) is dissolved in another (solvent). Example: sugar dissolved in water.

Alloy

A mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, made to have certain properties. Example: steel (iron and carbon).

Solute

The substance that is dissolved in a solution. Example: salt in saltwater.

Solvent

The substance that does the dissolving in a solution. Example: water in saltwater.

Insoluble

A substance that does not dissolve in a particular solvent (like sand in water).

Soluble

A substance that does dissolve in a particular solvent (like sugar in water).

Polar

Molecules with an uneven distribution of charge, so they have a positive end and a negative end (like water, H₂O).

Nonpolar

Molecules with an even distribution of charge, so they don't have distinct positive or negative ends (like oil or oxygen gas, O₂).

Electrolyte

A substance that dissolves in water and forms ions, allowing the solution to conduct electricity (like table salt, NaCl).

Nonelectrolyte

A substance that dissolves in water but does not form ions, so the solution does not conduct electricity (like sugar, C₆H₁₂O₆).

Concentration

How much solute (like salt or sugar) is dissolved in a certain amount of solvent (like water). Usually measured in units like molarity (moles per liter).

Dilute

A solution with a low concentration of solute compared to solvent. For example, a little bit of salt in a lot of water.

Molarity (M)

A way to express concentration. It's the number of moles of solute per liter of solution.

Precipitation Reaction

A chemical reaction where two solutions mix and form an insoluble solid (called a precipitate) that settles out.

Complete Ionic Equation

Shows all the ions present in a reaction, including those that don't change (spectator ions). It breaks all soluble compounds into their ions.

Net Ionic Equation

Shows only the ions and molecules directly involved in the chemical change. Spectator ions are left out.

Spectator Ions

Ions that don't participate in the actual chemical reaction. They stay unchanged on both sides of the equation.

Neutralization Reaction

A reaction where an acid and a base react to form water and a salt.

Acid

A substance that donates hydrogen ions (H⁺) in water. Acids have a pH less than 7.

Base

A substance that accepts hydrogen ions or donates hydroxide ions (OH⁻) in water. Bases have a pH greater than 7.

Salt

An ionic compound formed from the reaction of an acid and a base (other than water).

Ionization

The process where a molecule splits into ions when dissolved in water.

pH

A scale (0-14) that measures how acidic or basic a solution is.

pOH

Similar to pH, but measures the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH⁻).

Indicator

A substance that changes color depending on the pH of the solution, used to identify acids and bases (like litmus paper).