atomic orbital
the three-dimensional region of space that indicates where there is a high probability of finding an electron.
electron cloud
area surrounding the nucleus of an atom where electrons are likely to be.
quantum mechanical model
the modern description of the behavior of electrons in atoms
wave function
a solution to the Schrodinger wave equation
energy level
fixed distances from the nucleus of an atom where electrons may be found
ground state
The lowest energy state of an atom
electron configuration
the arrangement of electrons in the orbitals of an atom
aufbau principle
an electron occupies orbitals in order from lowest energy to highest.
pauli exclusion principle
no two electrons in an atom can have the same set of four quantum numbers.
hund's rule
orbitals of equal energy are each occupied by one electron before any orbital is occupied by a second electron and that each of the single electrons must have the same spin
orbital filling diagram
visual way to represent the arrangement of all the electrons in a particular atom
noble gas configuration
the elemental symbol of the last noble gas prior to that atom, followed by the configuration of the remaining electrons
valence electron
the electrons in the outer energy level of an atom that can participate in interactions with other atoms
electromagnetic waves
waves that consist of vibrating electric and magnetic fields
electromagnetic spectrum
the full range of electromagnetic radiation
electromagnetic radiation
energy that travels in waves across space as well as through matter
transverse wave
a wave in which particles of the medium vibrate at right angles, or perpendicular, to the direction that the wave travels
wave amplitude
the maximum distance the particles of the medium move from their resting positions when a wave passes through
wave length
the length from one crest to another
wave frequency
number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of time
crest
high points of a transverse wave
trough
low points of a transverse wave
wave-particle theory
theory that defines how electromagnetic radiation can be both a wave and a particle
photon
energy that is released when an electron moves to a lower energy level
quantum
the minimum amount of energy that can be gained or lost by an atom
group
A column on the periodic table
period
horizontal row in the periodic table
periodic table
the arrangement of the elements in order of their atomic numbers so that elements with similar properties appear in the same vertical column or group.
periodic law
When elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number, there is a periodic repetition of their chemical and physical properties
metals
elements that can conduct electricity
non metals
elements that cannot conduct electricity
metalloids
elements that have properties of both metals and non metals
alkali metals
group 1 elements, 1 valence electron, highly reactive
alkaline earth metals
group 2 elements, 2 valence electrons, reactive
transition metals
groups 3-12
halogens
group 17, 7 valence electrons, highly reactive
noble gases
group 18, 8 valence electrons, non reactive
electron shielding
Outer electrons are partially shielded from the attractive force of the protons in the nucleus by inner electrons.
inner core electrons
electrons closest to the nucleus
atomic radius
the size of an atom
ions
positively and negatively charged atoms
ionization energy
the amount of energy required to make an atom an ion
ionic radius
Distance from the center of an ion's nucleus to its outermost electron
electronegativity
the ability of an atom to attract electrons when the atom is in a compound
chemical bond
force of attraction between atoms or ions
compound
a unique substance that forms when two or more elements combine chemically
chemical formula
A combination of chemical symbols and numbers to represent a substance
ionic bond
force of attraction that holds together positive and negative ions
ionic compound
compound in which electrons are transferred from one atom to another
crystal
a solid in which the atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats again and again
covalent bond
force of attraction that holds together two atoms that share a pair of valence electrons
polarity
the difference in electrical charge between different parts of the same molecule.
polar molecule
a molecule in which the electrons are not shared equally between atoms, so that one atom has a slightly positive charge and one has a slightly negative charge
hydrogen bond
when the positively charged hydrogen side of one water molecule is attracted to the negatively charged oxygen side of a nearby water molecule
non polar
not having oppositely charged ends, as in nonpolar covalent bond or nonpolar covalent compound.
solute
the substance that is dissolved in a solution
solvent
that substance that dissolves a solution
acids
ionic compounds that produce positive hydrogen ions when dissolved in water
bases
ionic compounds that produce negative hydrogen ions when dissolved in water
pH
the amount of hydrogen ions in a solution
polymer
a long molecule consisting of smaller molecules joined together by covalent bonds.
monomer
the small molecules which are combined over and over to make up a polymer.
hydrocarbon
compounds that contain only carbon and hydrogen
saturated hydrocarbon
hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds between carbon atoms
unsaturated hydrocarbon
contain at least one double or triple bond between carbon atoms
biochemical compound
any carbon-based compound that is found in living things
carbohydrate
a biochemical compound that contains oxygen in addition to carbon and hydrogen.
lipids
a biochemical compound that contains oxygen in addition to carbon and hydrogen and is made up of long carbon chains called fatty acids.
nucleic acids
macromolecules containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus, and is made of of nucleotides.
nucleotide
nucleotides are units that makeup DNA. The nucleotide consists of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen-containing base.
DNA
stores genetic information in the cells of all living things
RNA
copies and interprets the code in DNA
protein
a protein is an organic compound made up of small molecules called amino acids(contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen).
amino acid
Building blocks of protein
activation energy
the minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction
catalyst
substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction
enzyme
A type of protein that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living thing
biochemical reaction
chemical reaction that occurs inside the cells of living things
metabolism
the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life.
catabolic
A process in which large molecules are broken down
anabolic
A process in which large molecules are built from small molecules