Chemistry Fundamentals: Matter, Energy, and Change

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers essential concepts from introductory chemistry, including the classification of matter, properties and changes of substances, energy types, and the states of matter.

Chemical Property

The ability of a substance to form a new substance through chemical reaction.

Physical Change

A change that alters the material without changing its composition by rearranging molecules without breaking bonds, such as bending, melting, boiling, or splitting.

Chemical Change

A change which results in a change in chemical composition through the breaking of chemical bonds, such as burning, rotting, decomposing, fermenting, corroding, or exploding.

Energy

The ability to do work or cause change.

Kinetic Energy

Energy in motion, such as that occurring when chemical bonds are breaking and reforming.

Potential Energy

Stored energy, also known as Chemical Potential Energy, that is stored in chemical bonds between elements.

Exothermic

A state in which the system releases heat to the surroundings.

Endothermic

A state in which the system absorbs heat from the surroundings.

The Law of Conservation of Mass

A law stating that the mass of the reactants is equal to the mass of the products, and the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

Element

The simplest form of matter that cannot be broken into simpler substances and is represented by symbols found on the periodic table.

Compound

A pure substance composed of two or more elements in fixed definite proportions that can be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means.

Mixture

A physical blend of two or more substances.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture with a uniform composition that can be separated using distillation.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture that is not uniform in composition and can be separated by physical means.

Physical Property

A quality that is observed without changing the composition of a substance, such as odor, density, hardness, melting point, or color.

Matter

Anything that takes up space and has mass, such as a microphone, cat, or football.

Solid

A state of matter where atoms or molecules pack tightly together in fixed locations, resulting in a fixed volume and shape.

Crystalline Solids

Solids in which atoms or molecules are arranged in geometric patterns with a repeating order.

Amorphous Solids

Solids in which atoms or molecules do not have an order.

Liquid

A state of matter where atoms or molecules are close together but free to move, having a fixed volume and taking the shape of the container.

Gas

A state of matter that is compressible, taking the shape and volume of the container, with atoms and molecules separated by large distances and free to move.

Pure Substance

Matter with a uniform and definite chemical composition that has a formula and is composed of only one type of atom or molecule, such as $NaCl$ or $C_{12}H_{22}O_{11}$.