Advanced Higher Chemistry Vocabulary Flashcards

These flashcards cover vocabulary and key terms related to Advanced Higher Chemistry, aiming to help students understand and recall essential chemical concepts.

Electromagnetic Radiation

A form of energy that travels through space and can be described in terms of waves.

Wavelength

The distance between successive crests of a wave, usually measured in nanometres.

Photon

A particle representing a quantum of light or other electromagnetic radiation.

Absorption Spectrum

A spectrum of absorbed light, showing dark lines corresponding to the wavelengths of light absorbed by a substance.

Emission Spectrum

A spectrum of emitted light, displaying bright lines at the wavelengths of light that a substance emits.

Atomic Orbitals

Regions in an atom where there is a high probability of finding electrons.

Principal Quantum Number (n)

A quantum number that indicates the main energy level occupied by an electron.

Aufbau Principle

The principle that electrons fill orbitals starting with the lowest energy levels first.

Hund’s Rule

The rule stating that electrons will occupy degenerate orbitals singly before filling them in pairs.

Pauli Exclusion Principle

A principle stating that no two electrons in an atom can have the same set of quantum numbers.

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) Theory

A model used to predict the geometry of molecules based on electron pair repulsion.

Transition Metals

Elements that have a partially filled d subshell in one or more of their oxidation states.

Oxidation State

The degree of oxidation of an atom in a chemical compound.

Ligands

Ions or molecules that can donate pairs of electrons to a central atom in a coordination complex.

Coordination Number

The number of ligand donor atoms that are bonded to a central atom in a complex.

Equilibrium Constant (K)

A number that expresses the relationship between the concentrations of reactants and products at equilibrium.

Le Chatelier’s Principle

The principle that states that if a system at equilibrium is disturbed, the system will adjust to counteract the disturbance.

Ionic Product of Water (Kw)

The product of the concentrations of hydronium and hydroxide ions in water, equal to 1 x 10^-14 at 25°C.

Brønsted-Lowry Acid

A substance that donates protons (H+) in a reaction.

Brønsted-Lowry Base

A substance that accepts protons (H+) in a reaction.

Acid Dissociation Constant (Ka)

A measure of the strength of an acid in solution.

Equimolar Solutions

Solutions that contain equal concentrations of different solutes.

Buffer Solution

A solution that resists changes in pH when small amounts of acid or base are added.

Thermodynamics

The branch of physical chemistry that deals with heat and temperature and their relation to energy and physical properties.

Gibbs Free Energy (G)

The energy associated with a chemical reaction that can be used to do work.

Mass Spectrometry

An analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions.

Infrared Spectroscopy

A spectroscopic technique used to identify functional groups within organic compounds.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy

A technique used to observe the magnetic properties of atomic nuclei in order to determine the structure of organic compounds.

Curly Arrow Notation

A method used in organic chemistry to represent the movement of electrons during chemical reactions.

Electrophile

A reactant that is attracted to electrons and is capable of accepting an electron pair.

Nucleophile

A reactant that is attracted to a positive charge and is capable of donating an electron pair.

Chiral Carbon Atom

A carbon atom attached to four different atoms or groups, leading to mirror-image isomers.

Isomerism

The occurrence of compounds with the same formula but different structural or spatial arrangements.

Stereoisomers

Isomers that differ in the spatial arrangement of atoms but have the same connectivity.

Geometric Isomerism

A type of stereoisomerism where isomers differ in spatial arrangement around a double bond.

Optical Isomerism

A type of isomerism due to the presence of chiral centres in a molecule.

Racemic Mixture

A mixture of equal amounts of enantiomers, resulting in no optical activity.

Gravimetric Analysis

A technique used to determine the mass of an analyte based on its conversion to a stable solid.

Volumetric Analysis

A technique that involves measuring the volume of a solution to determine the concentration of an analyte.

Standard Solution

A solution with a known concentration used in titrations.

Titration

A quantitative chemical analysis method used to determine the concentration of an identified analyte.

Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)

A chromatographic technique used to separate non-volatile mixtures.

Molecular Orbital Theory

A theory that accounts for the electronic structure of molecules and the nature of bonding between atoms.

Sigma Bond (σ)

A type of covalent bond formed by head-on overlapping of atomic orbitals.

Pi Bond (π)

A type of covalent bond formed by the side-to-side overlap of p orbitals.

Hybridisation

The mixing of atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals for bonding.

Aromatic Compounds

Compounds that contain benzene rings or similar structures.

Substitution Reaction

A reaction in which one functional group in a compound is replaced by another functional group.

Addition Reaction

A reaction in which two or more molecules combine to form a single product.

Elimination Reaction

A reaction that involves the removal of a small molecule from a larger one.

Condensation Reaction

A reaction where two molecules combine to form a larger one with the loss of a small molecule, often water.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction in which water breaks down another compound.

Oxidation

The process of losing electrons, resulting in an increase in oxidation state.

Reduction

The process of gaining electrons, resulting in a decrease in oxidation state.

Electrochemical Series

A list of electrodes arranged in order of their standard electrode potentials.

Catalyst

A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without undergoing any permanent chemical change.

Surface Area Effect

The influence of the surface area of solid reactants on the rate of reaction.

Temperature Effect

The effect of temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction, generally increasing with higher temperatures.

Activation Energy

The minimum energy required to initiate a chemical reaction.

Reaction Mechanism

The step-by-step sequence of elementary reactions by which an overall chemical change occurs.

Rate Determining Step

The slowest step in a reaction mechanism that determines the overall reaction rate.

Stoichiometry

The relationship between the quantities of reactants and products in a chemical reaction.

Significant Figures

The digits in a number that contribute to its precision.

Positive Control

A control group that is expected to give a positive result in an experiment.

Negative Control

A control group that is not exposed to the experimental treatment and should show no reaction.

Qualitative Analysis

The determination of the chemical properties of a substance.

Quantitative Analysis

The determination of the amount or concentration of a substance.

Solubility Product (Ksp)

The equilibrium constant for a solid substance dissolving in an aqueous solution.

Hydrophilic

Having a strong affinity for water; water-soluble.

Hydrophobic

Repelling water; not easily dissolved in water.