Chemical Reactions Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key terminology, equation types, energy changes, and compound classes from the lecture on chemical reactions.

Reactants

The starting substance(s) that undergoes change in a chemical reaction.

Products

A substance that forms during a reaction. It will be present after the reaction has taken place.

Chemical bond

A permanent force which holds atoms or ions together in a compound.

Chemical reaction

A process in which atoms in a substance, called reactants, are rearranged to form new substances called products.

Word equation

An equation that describes a chemical reaction using the names of the chemicals involved in the reaction.

Picture equation

An equation that describes a chemical reaction using diagrams of the particles of the compound involved in the reaction.

Chemical equation

An equation that describes a chemical reaction using the chemical formulae of the compounds involved in the reaction.

Reactive

Elements and compounds that react readily with many other substances.

Law of conservation of matter

Matter cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form into another.

Exothermic reaction

A reaction which gives out heat, in which chemical energy is converted into heat energy. More energy is given out to form product bonds than is taken in to break reactant bonds, usually resulting in light or heat energy in the form of an explosion and an increase in measured temperature.

Endothermic reaction

A reaction which takes in heat, in which heat energy is converted into chemical energy. More energy is absorbed to break reactant bonds than is released out to form product bonds, making the test tube feel cold and decreasing the temperature of the reaction.

Oxidise

When a compound reacts with oxygen, it is said to be oxidised.

Metal oxide

The product of the reaction between a metal and oxygen.

Rust

A reddish or yellowish-brown, often flaky, coating.

Rust-resistant

A material which does not rust.

Metal hydroxide

A compound with the general formula $MOH$ or $M(OH)_2$ where $M$ represents a metal atom, $O$ an oxygen atom, and $H$ a hydrogen atom.

Metal carbonate

A compound with the general formula $MCO_3$ or $M_2CO_3$ where $M$ represents a metal atom, $C$ represents a Carbon atom, and $O$ represents an oxygen atom.

Non-metal oxide

The product of the reaction between a non-metal and oxygen.