General Chemistry 1: Chapter 1

What are atoms?

Smallest part of an element that is still that element

What is a molecule?

Two or more atoms joined and acting as a unit

In a chemical reaction, how does one substance change to another?

By reorganizing the way the atoms are attached to each other

How is science a framework?

Science is a framework for gaining and organizing knowledge

How is science a plan of action?

Science is a procedure for processing and understanding certain types of information

What is the scientific method?

The process that lies at the center of scientific inquiry

What are the steps to the scientific method?

1. Observation

2. Hypothesis

3. Experiment

4. Theory (model)

5. Prediction

6. Experiment

7. Last three steps are repeated as necessary

In science, what is a law?

A summary of repeatable observed (measurable) behavior

In science, what is a hypothesis?

A possible explanation for an observation

In science, what is a theory (model)?

Set of tested hypotheses that gives an overall explanation of some natural phenomenon

What is a measurement?

Quantitative observation consisting of two parts (number and scale/unit)

What is mass?

Mass is a measure of the resistance of an object to a change in its state of motion; Does not vary

What is weight?

Weight is the force that gravity exerts on an object;

Varies with the strength of the gravitational field

What is a digit that must be estimated in a measurement called?

Uncertain

What is accuracy?

Agreement of a particular value with the true value

What is precision?

Degree of agreement among several measurements of the same quantity

What are the three questions to ask when approaching a problem?

1. What is my goal?

2. What do I know?

3. How do I get there?

What are the three systems for measuring temperature?

1. Fahrenheit

2. Celsius

3. Kelvin

What is density?

Mass of substance per unit volume of the substance;
Common units are g/cm³ or g/mL

What is an intensive property?

A property that remains the same no matter how much of a substance is given (ex: density)

What is an extensive property?

A property that depends on the amount of substance given (ex: mass, volume)

What is matter?

Anything occupying space and having mass

What are the three states of matter?

1. Solid

2. Liquid

3. Gas

What classifies matter as a solid?

• Rigid

• Has fixed volume and shape

What classifies matter as liquid?

• Has definite volume but no specific shape

• Assumes shape of container

What classifies matter as gas?

• Has no fixed volume or shape

• Takes on the shape and volume of its container

What are mixtures?

Substances that have variable composition

What is a homogenous mixture?

Having visibly indistinguishable parts; solution

What is a heterogeneous mixture?

Having visibly distinguishable parts

What is physical change?

Change in the form of a substance, not in its chemical composition;
Can be used to separate a mixture into pure compounds, but it will not break compounds into elements (ex: distillation, filtration, chromatography)

What happens in chemical change?

A given substance becomes a new substance or substances with different properties and different composition