Chemistry in Context - Chapter 6 Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the Chemistry in Context, Tenth Edition, Chapter 6: Energy from Combustion.

Fuels

Any solid, liquid, or gas that may be combusted to produce heat or work.

Hydrocarbons

Compounds made of only hydrogen and carbon atoms.

Potential Energy

Energy due to position or composition.

Kinetic Energy

Energy due to movement.

Work

Movement against a force: work = force × distance

Heat

Energy that flows from a hotter to a colder object.

Temperature

A measure of the average kinetic energy of the atoms and/or molecules.

Joule (J)

The SI unit of measurement for energy.

Calorie (cal)

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 g of water by 1 °C.

Calorimeter

Used to measure the quantity of heat energy released in a combustion reaction.

Heat of combustion

The quantity of heat given off when a specified amount of a substance burns in oxygen.

Exothermic reaction

When energy is released during the course of a reaction.

Endothermic reactions

Reactions that absorb energy.

Bond energy

The amount of energy that must be absorbed to break a chemical bond.

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy is neither created nor destroyed, but may be transformed from one form to another.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The entropy (randomness) of the universe is increasing.

Fracking

Used to obtain natural gas or petroleum from hard rock formations such as shale. Fluid injected under pressure to create cracks into which natural gas and oil can flow.

Alkanes

Hydrocarbons with single bonds between carbon atoms.

Alkenes

Features at least one double bond (hydrocarbon).

Alkynes

Have at least one triple bond (hydrocarbon).

Volatility

How easily a liquid is transformed into a gas.

Distillation

Used to separate crude oil into its components

Reforming

The rearrangement of atoms within a molecule, usually starting with a linear molecule and producing one with branches.

Isomers

Molecules with the same molecular formula but different structures.

Activation energy

Energy needed to initiate a chemical reaction.

Catalyst

Lowers the activation energy for a reaction by providing an alternative pathway.

Biofuels

Renewable fuels derived from a biological source such as trees, grasses, or agricultural crops.

Ethanol

An alcohol, with an –OH functional group.

Oxygenated fuels

Fuels such as ethanol contain a lower amount of energy per amount burned than the hydrocarbons found in gasoline.

Biodiesel

Generated from fats and oils (called triglycerides), such as waste cooking oil. Molecules contain a hydrocarbon chain with 16 to 20 carbon atoms containing oxygen as an ester functional group.