Introduction to General Chemistry Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental definitions, branches of chemistry, etymology, observation types, and scientific method terminology.

Chemistry

The scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter, focusing on the chemical elements and compounds made of atoms, molecules, and ions: their composition, structure, properties, behavior, and reaction changes.

Khēmeia

A Greek term meaning 'cast together', from which the word chemistry derives.

Khem

An ancient Egyptian name of Egypt meaning 'blackness', which is a potential origin for khēmia.

Organic Chemistry

The study of the structure, properties, and reactions of compounds and materials that contain carbon atoms.

Inorganic Chemistry

The study of properties and behavior of inorganic compounds, including metals, minerals, and organometallic compounds.

Analytical Chemistry

The science of obtaining, processing, and communicating information about the composition and structure of matter.

Physical Chemistry

The study of how matter behaves on a molecular and atomic level and how chemical reactions occur.

Biochemistry

The study of the structure, composition, and chemical reactions of substances in living systems.

Hypothesis

A tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables that serves as a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in a study.

Quantitative Information

Numerical data, such as the mass of a substance or the temperature at which it melts.

Qualitative Information

Non-numerical observations, such as the color of a substance or its physical appearance.

Law

A concise verbal or mathematical statement of a behavior or a relation that always seems to be the same under the same conditions.

Theory

A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experimentation.