Liquids and Solids: Especially Water

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to the states of matter, intermolecular forces, and specific properties of water.

Intermolecular Forces (IMF)

Forces of attraction between molecules that hold liquids and solids together.

Polarity

A property of molecules that causes them to have positive and negative ends, affecting their intermolecular forces.

Cohesive Forces

Attractive forces between molecules of the same substance; responsible for the behavior of liquids and solids.

Dispersion Forces

Weakest type of intermolecular force arising from temporary dipoles in nonpolar molecules.

Dipole-Dipole Forces

Attractive forces between polar molecules that have permanent dipoles.

Hydrogen Bonding

Strong intermolecular attraction occurring when hydrogen is covalently bonded to highly electronegative atoms like N, O, or F.

Melting Point

The temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid.

Boiling Point

The temperature at which the particles of a liquid escape into the gas phase.

Evaporation

Process by which liquid molecules escape into the vapor phase at the surface.

Condensation

The process by which a gas changes into a liquid.

Sublimation

When a solid changes directly into the gaseous state without passing through a liquid state.

Volatility

A measure of how easily a substance vaporizes; volatile liquids vaporize easily.

Solution

A homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances, containing a solvent and a solute.

Concentration

A measure of the amount of solute present in a given quantity of solution.

Universal Solvent

A term for water, which can dissolve many polar substances.

Hard Water

Water that contains dissolved minerals, specifically calcium and magnesium, often leading to scale buildup.

Water Softening

A process typically involving the exchange of sodium for calcium and magnesium to reduce hardness in water.

Kinetic Energy

Energy associated with the motion of particles; competes with cohesive forces to determine the state of matter.

Vaporization

The process of a liquid becoming a gas.

Freezing Point

The temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid, equivalent to the melting point.