General Chemistry Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Introduction to Chemistry, Properties and Changes in Matter, Classification and Separation of Matter, and Scientific Measurements and Inquiry.

Chemistry

The branch of science that deals with studying matter—specifically its structure, composition, properties, and the changes it undergoes.

Organic Chemistry

The study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and synthesis of carbon-containing compounds (e.g., carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids).

Inorganic Chemistry

The study of the properties, structures, and behaviors of inorganic compounds and metals, which are compounds lacking $\text{C-H}$ bonds like acids, bases, salts, and oxides.

Biochemistry

The study of chemical processes and substances inside living things, such as cellular processes and enzymes.

Analytical Chemistry

The study of the composition of matter, focusing on separating, identifying, and quantifying chemicals in samples.

Physical Chemistry

The study of macroscopic properties, atomic properties, and phenomena in chemical systems.

Theoretical Chemistry

The branch of chemistry that uses math, physics, and computer models to study and predict how molecules and chemical reactions behave.

Robert Boyle (1627-1691)

Formulated Boyle's law, describing the relationship between pressure and volume of a gas.

Joseph Priestley (1733-1804)

Discovered Oxygen, carbon monoxide, and nitrous oxide ("laughing gas").

Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794)

Known as the "Father of Chemistry"; studied the combustion of oxygen and established the law of conservation of mass.

John Dalton (1766-1844)

Introduced modern atomic theory.

Amadeo Avogadro (1776-1856)

Formulated Avogadro's Law and defined the Avogadro constant.

Michel Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889)

Studied fatty acids and improved soap and candle production.

Maxwell Simpson (1815-1902)

Performed the first synthesis of succinic acid.

Henri Sainte-Claire Deville (1818-1881)

Discovered toluene and nitrogen pentoxide.

Lothar Meyer (1830-1895)

Developed one of the first periodic tables of chemical elements.

Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer (1835-1917)

Synthesized indigo and developed cyclic compound nomenclature, receiving the 1905 Nobel Prize.

Nagayoshi Nagai (1844-1929)

First to synthesize methamphetamine and ephedrine.

Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944)

Invented bakelite, one of the first synthetic plastics.

Søren Sørensen (1868-1939)

Developed the concept of the pH scale.

Sir Joseph Wilson Swan (1828-1914)

Co-inventor of the incandescent light bulb.

Alfred Nobel (1833-1896)

Invented dynamite and established the Nobel Prize.

Wilhelm Haarmann (1847-1931)

Co-discoverer of the first synthesis of vanillin.

Arne Tiselius (1902-1971)

Developed electrophoresis, winning the 1948 Nobel Prize.

Allene Jeanes (1906-1995)

Developed large-scale dextran production and xanthan gum.

Ines Mandl (1917-2016)

Discovered collagenase.

Sir John Cornforth (1917-2013)

Explained the biosynthesis of cholesterol, receiving the 1975 Nobel Prize.

John Kendrew (1917-1997)

Discovered the structure of myoglobin, receiving the 1962 Nobel Prize.

John B. Goodenough (1922-2023)

Contributed to lithium-ion batteries, receiving the 2019 Nobel Prize.

Zefram Cochrane (2030-2267)

Invents the fictional faster-than-light "warp drive" in the Star Trek universe.

Matter

Anything that has mass and volume, composed of invisible particles called atoms and molecules.

Atom

The "building blocks of matter" that are in constant motion and composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Proton

A positively charged particle located in the nucleus of an atom.

Neutron

A neutral particle with no charge located in the nucleus of an atom.

Electron

A negatively charged particle found orbiting the nucleus of an atom.

Quark

A type of elementary particle and fundamental constituent of matter that combines to form composite particles called hadrons.

Phase of Matter

A region of material that is chemically uniform, physically distinct, and mechanically separable.

Solid

A state of matter with a definite mass, volume, and shape.

Liquid

A state of matter with a definite mass and volume, but no definite shape (takes the shape of its container).

Gas

A state of matter with no definite mass, volume, or shape (determined by its container).

Plasma

A state of matter that exists when atoms are in an excited state (e.g., stars/sun via nuclear fusion, lightning, auroras, neon).

Physical Property

A property observed without changing the composition of a substance (e.g., density, color, odor, taste, hardness, melting point, boiling point).

Extensive Property

A property that depends on the amount of substance present (e.g., length, mass).

Intensive Property

A property that is independent of the amount of substance present (e.g., density, melting point).

Chemical Property

The ability of a substance to combine with or change into one or more other substances (e.g., ability to burn, decompose, ferment, react).

Physical Change

A change that alters a substance without changing its composition, where only visible appearance changes; can be reversible or irreversible.

Chemical Change

A process that involves one or more substances changing into new substances.

Panning

A separation technique using water to separate heavy gold particles from lighter particles in a pan via sweeping motions.

Magnetic Separation

A separation process where a magnet attracts magnetic components (such as iron filings) out of a mixture, leaving non-magnetic substances behind.

Scientific Inquiry

The diverse, systematic process used by scientists to study the natural world, propose explanations, and build knowledge based on empirical evidence.

Observation

Data collected from a naturally occurring event or deliberate experimentation, which can be qualitative or quantitative.

Hypothesis

A tentative explanation for properties/behavior of matter that accounts for a set of observations and can be tested.

Scientific Law

Describes the way nature operates under a specified set of conditions (e.g., Law of Conservation of Mass).

Scientific Theory

A comprehensive explanation of an important feature of nature supported by facts gathered over time that allows predictions.

Scientific Measurement

A numerical description of properties, containing a numerical value and a unit.

International System of Units (SI)

The standard metric system defining base quantities: mass (Kilogram, $\text{kg}$), length (Meter, $\text{m}$), time (Second, $\text{s}$), temperature (Kelvin, $\text{K}$), amount of substance (Mole, $\text{mol}$), electric current (Ampere, $\text{A}$), and luminous intensity (Candela, $\text{cd}$).

SI Prefixes

Prefixes specifying powers of 10 in SI measurements, ranging from Tera ($10^{12}$) down to Pico ($10^{-12}$).

Accuracy

How close a measurement is to the correct or accepted true value.

Precision

How close a series of measurements are to one another (reproducibility).

Density

The ratio of mass to volume, calculated using the formula $\text{Density} = \frac{\text{mass}}{\text{volume}}$.

Dimensional Analysis

A multi-step problem-solving method utilizing conversion factor fractions to change units while maintaining equivalent value.

Scientific Notation

A method of expressing very large or small numbers in the form $C \times 10^n$, where $C$ is a number between $1$ and $10$.