Chemistry Concepts: Atomic Structure and Bonding

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and definitions from the topics of atomic structure, bonding, gases, and thermodynamics.

Electron Configuration

The distribution of electrons in the orbitals of an atom, following the order of increasing energy.

Cation

A positively charged ion formed by the loss of one or more electrons from a neutral atom.

Anion

A negatively charged ion formed by the gain of one or more electrons.

Lattice Energy

The energy released when one mole of an ionic solid is formed from its gaseous ions.

Coulomb’s Law

A law that describes the electrostatic potential energy between two charged particles based on their charges and the distance between them.

Formal Charge

A calculation to determine the charge of an atom in a molecule based on its valence electrons, lone pairs, and bonding electrons.

Electronegativity

The ability of an atom to attract shared electrons in a covalent bond, typically increases across a period and decreases down a group.

Dipole-Dipole Forces

Attractive forces between the positive end of one polar molecule and the negative end of another polar molecule.

Hydrogen Bonding

A strong type of dipole-dipole interaction occurring when hydrogen is bonded to a highly electronegative atom like F, O, or N.

Sigma Bond

A type of covalent bond formed by the direct overlap of atomic orbitals end-to-end.

Pi Bond

A covalent bond formed by the sideways overlap of atomic orbitals.

Resonance Structures

Different Lewis structures that represent the same molecule, showing different possible electron distributions.

Ideal Gas Law

A formula (PV=nRT) that relates the pressure, volume, temperature, and number of moles of an ideal gas.

First Law of Thermodynamics

A principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed or transferred.

Enthalpy

The total heat content of a system, important in studying heat flow at constant pressure.