Chapter 3 Study Guide: Matter, Properties, and Changes

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental concepts of matter, states of matter, physical and chemical properties/changes, elements, compounds, pure substances, and mixtures.

Matter

Anything that has mass and takes up space (volume).

Mass

The amount of matter in an object.

Volume

The amount of three-dimensional space an object occupies.

Atoms

The smallest units of elements.

Molecules

Groups of atoms bonded together.

Solid

A state of matter with tightly packed particles that vibrate, possessing a definite shape and definite volume (e.g., Ice).

Liquid

A state of matter with particles close together that move around, taking the shape of its container and possessing a definite volume (e.g., Water).

Gas

A state of matter with particles far apart that move freely, possessing no definite shape and no definite volume (e.g., Water vapor).

Plasma

A state of matter consisting of ions and free electrons, possessing no definite shape and no definite volume (e.g., Lightning, the Sun, auroras).

Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC)

A special state of matter composed of extremely low energy particles.

Physical Properties

Characteristics observed without changing the identity of a substance, such as color, odor, density, melting point, boiling point, and state of matter.

Physical Changes

Changes that do not create a new substance, such as melting, freezing, boiling, cutting, crushing, and grinding.

Chemical Properties

Characteristics that describe a substance's ability to form new substances.

Chemical Changes

A process in which one or more substances become different substances, such as rusting iron, burning wood, digestion, and decomposition reactions.

Reactants

Starting substances in a chemical reaction.

Products

New substances formed in a chemical reaction.

Law of Conservation of Mass

Principle stating that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction (e.g., Carbon + Oxygen $\rightarrow$ Carbon Dioxide).

Elements

Substances made of only one type of atom that cannot be broken down chemically, such as Copper ($Cu$), Carbon ($C$), and Oxygen ($O$).

Compounds

Substances made of two or more elements chemically combined that can be broken down chemically, such as Water ($H_2O$), Carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), and Sugar ($CH_2O$).

Carbon Allotropes

Different forms of carbon, including Diamond, Graphite, Graphene, Fullerene, and Carbon nanotubes.

Pure Substances

Matter with a fixed composition and the same properties throughout, categorized into elements and compounds.

Mixtures

Two or more substances physically combined.

Homogeneous Mixtures (Solutions)

A type of mixture formed when two or more substances are physically combined uniformly.