Chemical Bonds, Water Properties, and pH Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering chemical bonds, properties of water, pH scale, solutions, and neutralization reactions.

Ionic Bond

A chemical bond formed by the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, such as in $NaCl$ which contains $Na^+$ and $Cl^-$ ions.

Covalent Bond

A chemical bond formed when electrons are shared between atoms.

Nonpolar Covalent Bond

A type of covalent bond where electrons are shared equally between atoms, as seen in $O_2$ and $CH_4$ (methane gas).

Polar Covalent Bond

A type of covalent bond where electrons are not shared equally between atoms, resulting in a positive pole and a negative pole, as seen in $NH_3$.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak chemical bond that forms between polar covalent molecules, such as between $H_2O$ molecules.

Cohesion

A property of water where water molecules stick to other water molecules via hydrogen bonds.

High Surface Tension

A property of water where the "skin" on the top layer of water is hard to break.

Adhesion

A property of water where water sticks to other polar or ionic substances.

Versatile Solvent

A property of water that allows it to dissolve polar or ionic substances, though it cannot dissolve nonpolar substances like grease or oil.

Solution

A mixture of chemicals made of a solvent and a solute.

Solvent

The liquid component of a solution that does the dissolving, such as water.

Solute

The part of a solution that gets dissolved, such as sugar or salt.

Water Ionization

The process in which a tiny fraction of liquid water molecules dissociate into hydrogen ions ($H^+$) and hydroxide ions ($OH^-$) and then immediately recombine ($H_2O \rightleftharpoons H^+ + OH^-$).

Neutral Substance

A substance that releases equal quantities of $H^+$ and $OH^-$ ions when in solution, such as pure water or distilled water ($\text{dH}_2\text{O}$).

Acid

A substance that releases lots of $H^+$ ions in solution, tastes sour, can dissolve metal, and has a pH less than $7$ (e.g., $HCl$ and citrus fruits).

Base

A substance that releases lots of $OH^-$ ions in solution, tastes bitter, feels slippery to the touch, and has a pH greater than $7$ (e.g., $NaOH$).

Neutralization Reaction

A chemical reaction combining an acid and a base of equal strength to form a salt and water ($\text{Acid} + \text{Base} \rightarrow \text{Salt} + \text{Water}$ or $HCl + NaOH \rightarrow NaCl + H_2O$).