CHEMMAT 206 - Applied Chemistry Comprehensive Review Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers chemical kinetics, equilibrium, analytical chemistry techniques, and organic chemistry foundations based on the CHEMMAT 206 lecture notes.

Reaction Rate

The ratio of the change in concentration to elapsed time, defined by the consumption of reactants and the formation of products with consideration of stoichiometry.

Average Rate

The rate of reaction calculated by measuring two concentrations at separate times, represented by the slope of the line between these two points.

Instantaneous Rate

The slope of a line tangent to the concentration-time curve at a specific point in time.

Rate Law

An expression such as $\text{Rate} = k[X]^m[Y]^n$ that describes how the rate of reaction depends on reactant concentrations.

Rate Constant ($k$)

A temperature-dependent proportionality constant in the rate law whose magnitude indicates how quickly a reaction proceeds.

Zero-order Reaction

A reaction where doubling the concentration of a reactant does not change the rate, following the integrated law $[A]_t = -kt + [A]_0$.

First-order Reaction

A reaction where doubling the concentration of a reactant doubles the rate, following the integrated law $\ln[A]_t = -kt + \ln[A]_0$.

Second-order Reaction

A reaction where doubling the concentration of a reactant quadruples the rate, following the integrated law $\frac{1}{[A]_t} = kt + \frac{1}{[A]_0}$.

Half-life ($t_{1/2}$)

The time required for the concentration of a reactant to fall to one-half of its original value.

Activation Energy ($E_a$)

The minimum amount of molecular speed or energy required to break the bonds in the reactants during a collision.

Arrhenius Equation

$k = Ae^{-E_a/RT}$, which describes the temperature dependence of the rate constant.

Elementary Steps

The individual molecular steps required for reactants to become products in a reaction mechanism.

Intermediate

A species produced in one elementary step and consumed in a later step, which does not appear in the overall balanced stoichiometry.

Rate-determining Step

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

Catalyst

A substance that increases the reaction rate by providing an alternative pathway with a lower activation energy, without being consumed in the overall reaction.

Dynamic Equilibrium

A state in which the forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates, resulting in no observable macroscopic change.

Reaction Quotient ($Q$)

The ratio of product concentrations to reactant concentrations at any point in time during a reaction.

Equilibrium Constant ($K_c$)

The value of the reaction quotient when the system has reached chemical equilibrium at a specific temperature.

Le Chatelier's Principle

States that if a system at equilibrium is disturbed by changes in concentration, pressure, or temperature, it responds by shifting to reduce the applied disturbance.

Solubility Product Constant ($K_{sp}$)

The equilibrium constant for a heterogeneous equilibrium between a solid salt and its constituent ions in a saturated solution.

Common Ion Effect

The suppression of the solubility of a sparingly soluble solid when an additional ion common to the solution is added.

Brønsted-Lowry Acid

A chemical species that acts as a proton ($H^+$) donor.

Brønsted-Lowry Base

A chemical species that acts as a proton ($H^+$) acceptor.

Analyte

In analytical chemistry, the specific substance to be analyzed within a sample.

Interferents

Substances within a sample that may cause incorrect or erroneous results during analysis.

Precision

A measure of how repeatable results are when replicate measurements are performed.

Accuracy

A measure of how close a measured value is to the true or accepted value.

Beer-Lambert Law

$A = ε c_n l$, stating that absorbance is directly proportional to concentration, path length, and molar absorptivity.

Rayleigh Scattering

Elastic scattering of light where a photon hits a molecule and is scattered without a change in wavelength.

Stokes Scattering

Inelastic Raman scattering where the scattered photon has less energy (longer wavelength) than the incident photon because energy was absorbed by the molecule.

Anti-stokes Scattering

Inelastic Raman scattering where the scattered photon has more energy (shorter wavelength) than the incident photon because energy was transferred from the molecule.

FTIR Spectroscopy

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, which uses an interferometer and mathematical transformation to detect all IR wavelengths simultaneously to characterize functional groups.

Chromatography

A separation technique involving a mixture moving between a mobile phase (fluid) and a stationary phase (material), where components separate based on their relative speeds.

Partition Coefficient ($K_D$)

The equilibrium constant describing the distribution of a solute between the stationary and mobile phases: $K_D = [S]_{\text{stationary}} / [S]_{\text{mobile}}$.

Retention Time ($t_R$)

The time taken for a particular solute to elute or be removed from a chromatographic column.

Mass Spectrometry (MS)

An analytical technique where gaseous charged ions are separated according to their mass-to-charge ratios ($m/z$).

Catenation

The ability of an atom, specifically carbon, to form covalent bonds with other atoms of the same element to create chains or skeletons.

Saturated Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons, such as alkanes ($C_nH_{2n+2}$), that contain only single sigma bonds and the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms.

Functional Groups

Arrangements of atoms within organic molecules that determine their chemical reactivities and properties.

Moiety

A distinct part or recognizable portion of a molecule, which may or may not be a functional group.

Conjugation

The overlap of p-orbitals across adjacent atoms, leading to the delocalization of electrons and resonance structures.

Constitutional Isomers

Molecules that share the same molecular formula but have different atomic connectivity.

Stereoisomers

Molecules with the same formula and connectivity but different arrangements of atoms in 3D space.

Nucleophile

An electron-rich species that provides a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond.

Electrophile

An electron-deficient species that accepts a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond.

Carbocation

A reactive and unstable intermediate consisting of a positively charged carbon atom with three bonds and an empty p-orbital.

Saponification

The hydrolysis of esters in basic conditions (e.g., using $NaOH$ or $KOH$) to produce soap and glycerol.

Condensation Polymerization

A polymerization reaction where monomers link together by removing a small molecule, such as water, alcohol, or ammonia.

Peptide Bond

An amide linkage formed between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amine group of another through condensation.

Protein Denaturation

The process of unfolding and disorganizing a protein's secondary and tertiary structures without breaking the peptide bonds.

Aptamers

Synthetically made single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules capable of binding tightly to specific biomolecular targets.