Chemistry Fundamentals: Properties, Measurements, and Classification of Matter

Chemical Property

A property that is associated with a change in chemical composition.

Chemical Change

A change of matter that results in a change in its chemical composition.

Extensive Property

A property that depends on the amount of matter present.

Intensive Property

A property that does not depend on the amount of matter present.

Measurements

Measurements contain three types of information: Number, Unit, and Significant Figures.

Number

Represents the magnitude of the measurement.

Unit

Represents the property that is being measured.

Significant Figures

Represent the uncertainty of the measurement.

Metric System

The most common system of unit measurement in the world, organized by powers of 10.

SI Units

A subset of the metric system, standardized international system with seven base units.

SI Base Unit for Length

Meter (m), approximately 3 inches longer than 1 yard.

SI Base Unit for Mass

Kilogram (kg), defined by a specific cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy in France.

SI Base Unit for Temperature

Kelvin (K), with Degree Celsius (℃) as an alternative.

SI Base Unit for Time

Second (s), with hours, days, and years as alternatives.

Derived Units

Assigned to other properties such as volume, energy, density, based on a combination of the SI Base Units.

Volume

Calculated as V = l^3, where l is the length in meters.

Density

Calculated as d = mass/volume, with SI unit = kg/m^3.

Metric Prefix: Tera

Symbol: T, Factor: 10^12.

Metric Prefix: Giga

Symbol: G, Factor: 10^9.

Metric Prefix: Mega

Symbol: M, Factor: 10^6.

Metric Prefix: Kilo

Symbol: k, Factor: 10^3.

Metric Prefix: Hecto

Symbol: h, Factor: 10^2.

Metric Prefix: Deca

Symbol: da, Factor: 10^1.

Metric Prefix: Deci

Symbol: d, Factor: 10^-1.

Metric Prefix: Centi

Symbol: c, Factor: 10^-2.

Metric Prefix: Milli

Symbol: m, Factor: 10^-3.

Metric Prefix: Micro

Symbol: 𝝁, Factor: 10^-6.

Metric Prefix: Nano

Symbol: n, Factor: 10^-9.

Metric Prefix: Pico

Symbol: p, Factor: 10^-12.

Chemistry

the study of matter and the changes it undergoes

Hypothesis

a tentative explanation of observations - often referred to as an 'educated guess'

Scientific Law

a statement based on repeated experimental observations that describes a consistent, universal relationship or pattern in nature

Scientific Theory

a well-established, testable explanation of a particular aspect of nature

Macroscopic Domain

the realm of everyday things and can be sensed directly by human sight or touch

Microscopic Domain

almost always visited in the imagination; models are often used to represent this domain

Phases of Matter

the distinct forms that different phases of matter take on

Physical Properties

characteristics of a substance that can be observed without changing its composition

Chemical Properties

characteristics that determine how a substance will react with other substances

Accuracy

the closeness of a measured value to a standard or known value

Precision

the closeness of two or more measurements to each other

Carbon Dating

a method used in history and archaeology for determining the age of an object containing organic material by measuring the amount of carbon-14 it contains

Symbolic domain

Contains the specialized language and notation used to represent the macro- and microscopic domains.

Solid

A solid has a fixed shape and volume. Solids may be hard or soft, rigid or flexible.

Liquid

A liquid has a varying shape that conforms to the shape of the container, but a fixed volume. A liquid has an upper surface.

Gas

A gas has no fixed shape or volume and therefore does not have a surface.

Mass

A measure of the amount of matter in an object.

Weight

Refers to the force that gravity exerts on an object.

Law of conservation of matter

There is no detectable change in the total quantity of matter present when matter converts from one type to another.

Element

The simplest type of substance with unique physical and chemical properties. An element consists of only one type of atom.

Molecule

A structure that consists of two or more atoms that are chemically bound together and thus behaves as an independent unit.

Compound

A substance composed of atoms of two or more elements that are chemically combined. A compound's properties are different than those of its elements.

Mixture

A group of two or more elements and/or compounds that are physically intermingled.

Heterogeneous mixture

Has one or more visible boundaries between the components.

Homogeneous mixture

Has no visible boundaries because the components are mixed as individual atoms, ions, and/or molecules.

Aqueous solutions

Solutions in which water is the solvent.