General Chemistry Fundamentals Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key topics including intensive and extensive properties, density, factor labelling, measurement, sig figs, physical and chemical properties, substances, mixtures, and states of matter.

Intensive Properties

Properties of matter that do not depend on the amount of substance present, such as density, melting point, and boiling point.

Extensive Properties

Properties of matter that depend directly on the amount of substance present, such as mass and volume.

Density

An intensive property representing mass per unit volume, calculated using the formula $\text{density} = \frac{\text{mass}}{\text{volume}}$.

Factor Labelling

A problem-solving method (dimensional analysis) that uses conversion factors set up with numerators and denominators to cancel units.

Measurement Recording

The technique of recording all certain digits on a measuring device plus one final estimated digit where the reading stops.

Significant Figures

All the non-zero and relevant zero digits in a recorded measurement that express its precision.

Physical Properties

Characteristics of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing its chemical composition.

Chemical Properties

Characteristics that describe a substance's ability to undergo chemical changes and form new substances.

Pure Substance

A sample of matter, either an element or a compound, with a fixed chemical composition and distinct properties.

Mixture

A physical combination of two or more substances that retain their individual chemical identities.

Element

A pure substance consisting of only one type of atom that cannot be broken down by chemical reactions.

Compound

A pure substance composed of two or more different elements chemically bonded in fixed proportions.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture that has a uniform composition and uniform properties throughout.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture with a non-uniform composition where distinct components can be visually identified.

States of Matter

The distinct physical forms of matter (solid, liquid, and gas) defined by particle arrangement and behavior relative to melting point (mp) and boiling point (bp).

Melting Point (mp)

The specific temperature at which a pure substance transitions from a solid state to a liquid state.

Boiling Point (bp)

The specific temperature at which a pure substance transitions from a liquid state to a gaseous state.