Pure Substances and Mixtures

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to pure substances and mixtures in chemistry.

Matter

Anything that has mass and takes up space.

Solid

A state of matter that has a definite shape and volume.

Liquid

A state of matter that has a definite volume but no definite shape.

Gas

A state of matter that has no definite shape or volume.

Physical Properties

Characteristics of matter that can be observed without changing its composition.

Chemical Properties

Characteristics of matter that can only be observed when a substance undergoes a chemical change.

Flammability

The ability of a substance to catch fire easily.

Reactivity

It is the tendency of a substance to undergo a chemical reaction.

Biodegradability

The ability of a substance to be broken down by natural processes.

Pure Substance

Matter that has a fixed or definite composition.

Mixture

Combinations of two or more substances that retain their individual properties.

Elements

The simplest form of pure substances that consist of only one type of atom.

Compounds

Substances formed by the chemical combination of two or more different elements.

Element

A substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by chemical means.

Periodic Table of Elements

A tabular arrangement of the chemical elements based on their atomic number.

Metals

Elements that are typically solid, lustrous, malleable, and good conductors of heat and electricity.

Nonmetals

Elements that are usually gaseous or dull solids and poor conductors.

Metalloids

Elements that exhibit properties of both metals and nonmetals.

Semiconductors

Materials that have conductivity between conductors and insulators; used in electronic components.

Organic Compounds

Compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen.

Inorganic Compounds

Compounds that typically do not contain carbon-hydrogen bonds.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture in which the components are evenly distributed.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture in which the components are not evenly distributed.

Solution

A homogeneous mixture where one substance is dissolved in another.

Solute

The substance that is dissolved in a solution.

Solvent

The substance that dissolves the solute in a solution.

Miscible

A term used for liquids that are soluble in each other.

Colloids

Heterogeneous mixtures with particles that do not settle and exhibit the Tyndall effect.

Suspensions

Heterogeneous mixtures with larger particles that can settle.

Tyndall Effect

The scattering of light by colloidal particles.

Chemical Reaction

A process that involves rearrangement of the molecular or ionic structure of a substance.

Atoms

The basic unit of a chemical element.

Molecules

Groups of two or more atoms bonded together.

Density

The mass per unit volume of a substance.

Phase Changes

Transitions between solid, liquid, and gas states.

Malleability

The ability of a material to be stretched into thin sheets.

Conductivity

The ability of a substance to conduct heat or electricity.

Soluble

A term describing substances that can dissolve in a solvent.

Endothermic

Absorbs heat allowing it to produce new component.

Exothermic

Chemical reaction that gives heat.

Period

From left to right of a table of elements

Column

Up to down of table of element.