Lecture Review: Atomic Structure, Isotopes, and Chemical Bonding

A vocabulary flashcard deck covering basic chemistry concepts from the transcript, including subatomic particles, isotopes, molecular structure, valence shells, and types of chemical bonds.

Electron

A subatomic particle with a negative charge and negligible mass that plays a critical role in energy transfer and chemical reactions.

Proton

A subatomic particle located in the nucleus that possesses mass and a positive electrical charge.

Neutron

A subatomic particle located in the nucleus that possesses mass but carries no electrical charge.

Element

A fundamental substance composed entirely of a single type of atom.

Atomic Number

The total number of protons in an atom, which uniquely identifies a chemical element.

Mass Number

The total sum of protons and neutrons contained within the nucleus of an atom.

Isotope

A variant form of an element that contains the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons, resulting in a different mass number.

Carbon-13 ($^{13}\text{C}$)

A stable, heavier isotope of carbon with $6$ protons and $7$ neutrons that bioaccumulates in biological tissues across trophic levels.

Carbon-14 ($^{14}\text{C}$)

An isotope of carbon used in radiometric dating to determine the age of biological materials.

Radioisotope

An unstable isotope whose nucleus spontaneously transforms into a more stable state by releasing energy in the form of radiation (such as alpha, beta, or gamma particles).

Molecule

A stable association of two or more atoms bonded together.

Valence Shell

The outermost electron shell of an atom that participates in forming chemical bonds.

Octet Rule

The chemical principle stating that atoms tend to form stable arrangements by gaining, losing, or sharing electrons to achieve $8$ electrons in their valence shell.

Covalent Bond

A strong chemical bond formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of valence electrons.

Ionic Bond

A chemical bond formed by the complete transfer of electrons from one atom to another, creating oppositely charged ions that attract each other.

Hydrogen Bond

An attraction between a partially positive hydrogen atom in one molecule and a partially negative atom in another molecule.

Electronegativity

A measure of how strongly an atom attracts shared electrons within a chemical bond.

Polar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond in which electrons are shared unequally due to a high difference in electronegativity, creating partial positive and partial negative poles.

Non-polar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond in which electrons are shared equally between atoms with similar electronegativity.

Ion

An atom or group of atoms with a net electrical charge resulting from an unequal number of protons and electrons.

Cation

A positively charged ion formed when an atom loses one or more electrons.

Anion

A negatively charged ion formed when an atom gains one or more electrons.