Module 2 Test Study Guide: Matter and Its States

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions and concepts about matter, subatomic particles, chemical bonds, mixtures, acids and bases, and states of matter.

Matter

Anything that has volume and mass.

Atom

The smallest particle of an element with all properties.

Element

A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by physical or chemical means.

Atomic number

The number of protons in an atom's nucleus.

Mass number

The sum of protons and neutrons.

Isotope

Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

Ion

An atom that gains or loses an electron that has an electric charge.

Compound

A substance that is composed of two or more different elements that are chemically combined.

Covalent bond

Attraction of two atoms for a shared pair of electrons that holds the atoms together.

Molecule

Composed of two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.

Ionic bond

The attractive force between two ions of opposite charge.

Metallic bond

Formed when valence electrons are shared equally among all positive charged atoms.

Mixture

A combination of two or more components that retain their identities.

Acid

A solution containing a substance that produces hydrogen ions ($H^+$) in water.

Base

A solution containing a substance that produces hydroxide ions ($OH^-$) in water.

Heterogeneous mixture

A mixture where components are easily recognizable.

Homogeneous mixture

Also known as a solution, a mixture where component particles cannot be distinguished but still retain original properties.

Solid

Substances without densely packed particles that can be ions, atoms, or molecules.

Liquid

Formed when thermal vibrations become vigorous enough to break the force holding solids together so particles can slide past each other.

Gas

Formed when vibrating particles in liquids gain sufficient thermal energy to escape the liquid.

Plasma

Occurs at extreme temperatures where collisions between particles in matter are violent and knock electrons away from an atom.

Vaporization

Occurs when liquid is heated to the boiling point, absorbs enough thermal energy, and becomes a gas.

Condensation

Occurs when gas is cooled to a boiling point and releases thermal energy to become a liquid.

Sublimation

A special type of vaporization that occurs below the boiling point.

Crystalline structure

Structure formed when most solid particles are in regular geometric patterns, allowing solids to have definite shape and volume.

Glass

A solid that consists of densely packed atoms arranged randomly, formed when molten matter is chilled so rapidly that the atoms do not have enough time to arrange themselves in a regular pattern.

Law of Conservation of Mass

States that matter can be changed, but it cannot be created or destroyed.

Law of Conservation of Energy

States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be changed from one form to another.