Properties of Water and Thermal Concepts

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from lecture notes on the properties of water, solutions, heat, and thermal energy.

Solution

A liquid that is a homogenous mixture of two or more substances.

Aqueous solution

A solution that uses water as the solvent.

Solvent

The dissolving agent of a solution.

Solute

The substance dissolved in a solution.

Hydrophilic

"Water loving"; describing a substance that has a strong affinity (attraction) for water.

Hydrophobic

"Water fearing"; a term used to describe a condition where water is repelled.

Temperature

A measure of heat intensity due to the average kinetic energy of molecules in a body of water.

Heat

The total kinetic energy due to molecular motion in a body of matter.

calorie (cal)

The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius ($1\,^\circ\text{C}$).

kilocalorie (kcal or Cal)

The amount of heat needed to raise $1\,\text{kg}$ of water by $1\,^\circ\text{C}$.

Specific heat

The amount of heat that must be lost (or gained) for one gram of a substance to change its temperature by one degree Celsius.

Water's specific heat

$$1\,\text{cal/g/}^\circ\text{C}$$

Vaporization

Also known as evaporation; the transformation of a substance from a liquid state to a gaseous state.