Chapter 1: Chemistry - The Central Science Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, physical states, properties of matter, metric prefixes, and measurement uncertainties from Chapter 1.

Chemistry

The study of matter, its properties, and the changes it undergoes.

Matter

Anything that has mass and takes up space.

Substance

Pure matter with constant composition throughout that possesses common composition and distinct properties.

Mixture

Matter comprised of two or more substances that each maintain their own properties.

Element

A substance that cannot be separated into smaller substances.

Atom

The smallest particle of an element.

Molecule

Two or more atoms joined together by chemical bonds.

Compound

A substance composed of two or more different elements joined together by chemical bonds.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture of two or more substances where the composition varies from point to point.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture of two or more substances where the composition is uniform throughout, also known as a solution.

Solids

A physical state of matter where molecules are held very close together in an ordered fashion, vibrating in place, maintaining their own shape and volume.

Liquids

A physical state of matter where molecules are held closely together without an ordered arrangement, allowing them to slide past one another, maintaining a distinct volume while conforming to the shape of the container.

Gases

A physical state of matter where particles are separated by distances much larger than their size and move freely, conforming to both the shape and volume of a container.

Quantitative Properties

Characteristics of matter that are measured and expressed with numbers, such as mass and volume.

Qualitative Properties

Descriptive characteristics of matter that are not numeric, such as color, luster, and odor.

Physical Properties

Properties of a substance that can be observed and measured without changing the chemical makeup of the substance.

Chemical Properties

Properties observed when a chemical change takes place, such as reactivity, combustibility, and explosivity.

Extensive Properties

Properties of matter that change with the amount of matter present, such as mass, volume, and heat.

Intensive Properties

Properties of matter that do not depend on the amount of matter present, such as temperature and density.

Physical Change

A type of change in which the form of matter is altered, but the substance is not chemically transformed.

Chemical Change

A type of change where chemical bonds are broken and new bonds are formed, resulting in a chemically transformed substance.

Kelvin Scale

An absolute temperature scale where the lowest theoretical temperature is $0\,K$ (absolute zero).

Volume

A derived measurement of the space an object takes up.

Density

A measure of the mass of a substance taken up by a given volume, defined by the formula $D = \frac{m}{V}$.

Exact Numbers

Counting numbers or values given by definition that possess an infinite number of significant figures.

Inexact Numbers

Numbers obtained by any measurement technique, which inherently carry a level of uncertainty or error.

Significant Figures

All meaningful digits in a measured value, consisting of all certain digits plus one uncertain digit.

Precision

A measure of how closely individual measurements agree with one another.

Accuracy

Refers to how closely individual measurements agree with the correct or true value.

Dimensional Analysis

A technique of converting from one set of units to another using conversion factors, also known as the factor/label method.