T3 Atoms and Bonding Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from lecture notes on atoms and bonding.

Elements

Substances that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical reactions.

Atom

The basic building block of all matter and is the smallest unit of matter that has the properties of a chemical element.

Proton

Subatomic particle with a positive charge located in the nucleus.

Neutron

Subatomic particle with a neutral charge located in the nucleus.

Electron

Subatomic particle with a negative charge that orbits the nucleus in shells.

Atomic Mass

The mass of an atom of an element, calculated by adding the number of protons and neutrons.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in an atom of an element.

Isotopes

Atoms of an element with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, resulting in different atomic masses.

Radioactive Isotopes

Unstable isotopes that emit radiation as they decay to become more stable.

Autoradiography

A technique that detects the decay of radioisotopes, used in various scientific and clinical applications.

Energy Shells

Electrons are contained within these

Valence Shell

The outermost shell of an atom that contains electrons.

Inert Atom

Atoms that have full outer shell and does not react with other atoms.

Ions

Atoms with an electrical charge (positive or negative) due to the loss or gain of electrons.

Cations

Positively-charged ions.

Anions

Negatively-charged ions.

Chemical Reaction

The process of building and/or breaking chemical bonds between atoms or molecules.

Reactants

Atoms or molecules that interact in a chemical reaction.

Product

The result of a chemical reaction.

Ionic Bonds

Chemical bonds that form when one or more electrons are transferred between atoms.

Covalent Bonds

Chemical bonds that form when electrons are shared between atoms.

Non-polar Covalent Bonds

Covalent bonds with the electrons shared equally between atoms

Polar Covalent Bonds

Covalent bonds with the electrons shared unequally between atoms due to electronegativity differences.

Electronegativity

The attraction of a nucleus for electrons, influencing the type of bonds an atom is likely to form.

Oxidation

The loss of electrons or hydrogen atoms from a molecule.

Reduction

The gain of electrons or hydrogen atoms by a molecule.