The Periodic Table and Chemical Reactions

Flashcards reviewing key concepts from the lecture on the periodic table, elements, compounds, and chemical reactions.

What is an element?

A pure substance made up of only one type of atom that cannot be split into simpler substances.

What are atoms?

The smallest units that elements are made of.

What is a group?

A vertical column in the Periodic Table; elements in the same one behave in a similar way.

What is a period?

A row in the Periodic Table.

What does each block in the Periodic Table of Elements represent?

One atom of that element, its chemical symbol, atomic number and mass number.

What does the atomic number tell us?

The number of protons in the nucleus, and also the number of electrons spinning around the nucleus in a neutral atom.

What does the mass number tell us?

The number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

What are groups in the Periodic Table?

The vertical columns in the Periodic Table, numbered from 1 to 18, containing elements that behave similarly and have the same chemical properties.

What are periods in the Periodic Table?

The rows in the Periodic Table, running from left to right, where the atomic numbers of the elements increase by one as you move across.

What are the three main classifications of elements?

Metals, non-metals, and semi-metals.

What are the properties of non-metals?

They are mostly gases at room temperature, but some are solids, and only bromine is a liquid.

What are semi-metals?

Elements on either side of the zigzag line in the Periodic Table with properties of both metals and non-metals.

What are compounds?

Pure substances formed by a chemical reaction between two or more different elements.

Besides identifying elements, what else does a chemical formula tell you?

The ratio of the number of each element in the compound.

What are the steps in naming a compound with two elements?

Write down the name of the metal first, then name the second element and change the ending to '-ide'.

What are the steps in naming a compound with three elements, one of which is oxygen?

Write down the name of the metal first, then name the element that is not oxygen and change the ending to '-ate'.

What are common prefixes used in compound names and what do they mean?

Mono (one), di (two), tri (three), and tetra (four).

What can you use to represent chemical reactions?

Symbols and formulae to represent chemical reactions where no atoms are lost or gained, they are simply rearranged.

What do the coefficients in a balanced chemical equation represent?

The numbers in front of some formulae in a chemical equation, indicating the ratio in which the molecules react.

What does it mean for a chemical equation to be balanced?

The total number and type of atoms in the reactants must be the same as in the products.

How do you calculate the number of protons, electrons, and neutrons in an atom?

The number of protons is equivalent to the atomic number. In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is the same as the number of protons. To calculate the number of neutrons, subtract the atomic number from the mass number: Neutrons = Mass Number - Atomic Number