Chapter 1: The Chemical World

Vocabulary flashcards covering foundational concepts in Chapter 1 of Introductory Chemistry by Nivaldo J. Tro.

Chemistry

The science that seeks to understand what matter does by studying what atoms and molecules do.

Atoms

Very small particles that compose all common matter; a single drop of soda pop contains about one billion trillion ($1 \times 10^9 \times 10^{12}$) atoms.

Chemical Bonds

The attachments that hold atoms together to form molecules.

Carbon Dioxide Molecule

A molecule consisting of three atoms—one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms—held together in a straight line by chemical bonds, making it a gas at room temperature.

Water Molecule

A molecule consisting of three atoms—one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms—bonded together in a bent shape, making it a liquid at room temperature.

Soda Pop Fizz

Pockets of carbon dioxide gas escaping out of liquid water when the pressure of a sealed container is released.

Scientific Method

A way of learning that emphasizes observation and experimentation to produce knowledge about the physical world.

Observation

A step in the scientific method that involves the measurement or description of some aspect of the physical world.

Hypothesis

A tentative interpretation or explanation of observations that must be falsifiable and tested by experiment.

Falsifiable

A property of a scientific hypothesis meaning that further testing has the potential to prove it wrong.

Scientific Law

A brief statement that synthesizes past observations and predicts future ones based on many similar observations.

Scientific Theory

A well-established model formed by one or more validated hypotheses that provides a broader and deeper explanation for observations and laws.

Antoine Lavoisier

A French chemist (1743–1794) who measured mass in combustion experiments to establish the law of conservation of mass.

Law of Conservation of Mass

A scientific law formulated by Antoine Lavoisier stating: 'In a chemical reaction matter is neither created nor destroyed.'

Mass

A measure of the quantity of matter within an object.

Combustion

The chemical process of burning.

John Dalton

An English chemist (1766–1844) who proposed the atomic theory to explain the law of conservation of mass.

Atomic Theory

A scientific theory proposed by John Dalton stating that all matter is composed of small, indestructible particles called atoms.

Quantification

The process of precise measurement as part of observation, such as specifying water temperatures as $40\text{ }^\text{o}\text{C}$ versus $44\text{ }^\text{o}\text{C}$.

Richard Feynman

Nobel Prize–winning physicist (1918–1988) who stated that the most important idea in all human knowledge is that all things are made of atoms.