Exam 1 Study Guide - Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards covering key concepts from Chapter 1 (Matter, states, changes, mixtures, pure substances, periodic table) and Chapter 3-4 topics (subatomic particles, isotopes, electron configurations, subshells, ionic compounds, polyatomic ions, and molecular formulas).

Matter

Anything that has mass and occupies space; exists in states of matter (solid, liquid, gas).

States of Matter

Physical forms matter can take: solid (s), liquid (l), and gas (g).

Physical Change

A change in which the substance’s appearance or state changes without altering its chemical identity.

Chemical Change

A change that results in the formation of one or more new substances with different properties.

Pure Substance

Matter with a fixed composition, either an element or a compound.

Element

A pure substance consisting of only one type of atom.

Compound

A pure substance composed of two or more elements chemically combined in fixed proportions.

Mixture

Matter consisting of two or more substances physically combined; can be heterogeneous or homogeneous.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture where the components are visibly different.

Homogeneous Mixture

A uniform mixture with the same composition throughout (also called a solution).

Periodic Table

A tabular arrangement of elements organized by increasing atomic number and recurring chemical properties.

Element Group

A category or family of elements in the periodic table (e.g., alkali metals, halogens).

Subatomic Particles

Particles that make up atoms: protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in the nucleus; defines the identity of an element.

Mass Number

The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Isotope

Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but different neutrons (different mass numbers).

Electron Configuration

The arrangement of electrons in an atom’s orbitals (s, p, d, f) in order of increasing energy.

Subshells (s, p, d, f)

s has 1 orbital (2 electrons), p has 3 orbitals (6 electrons), d has 5 orbitals (10 electrons), f has 7 orbitals (14 electrons).

Ionic Compound

A compound formed from opposite-charged ions held together by ionic bonds (usually metal + nonmetal).

Ionic Formula

The formula that shows the ratio of ions in an ionic compound and reflects how charges balance to neutrality.

Polyatomic Ion

A charged group of covalently bonded atoms that acts as a single ion.

Molecular Formula

A formula that shows the exact number of each type of atom in a molecule.

Naming Ionic Compounds

Systematic naming of ionic compounds; typically metal name + nonmetal name with appropriate endings or polyatomic ion names.