2.1 - Carbon & Chemical Reactions

atom

basic building block of matter

atomic nucleus

an atom's dense central core, containing protons and neutrons.

proton

a subatomic particle that has a positive charge and that is found in the nucleus of an atom

neutron

a subatomic particle that has no charge and that is found in the nucleus of an atom

electron

a subatomic particle that has a negative charge

element

a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances

isotope

atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons

radioactive isotope

an isotope that is unstable; the nucleus decays spontaneously, giving off detectable particles and energy.

compound

a substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds

covalent bond

a chemical bond formed when two atoms share electrons

polar covalent bond

a covalent bond in which electrons are not shared equally

nonpolar covalent bond

a covalent bond in which the electrons are shared equally by the two atoms

ionic bond

chemical bond formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another

Ion

an atom or group of atoms that has a positive or negative charge.

chemical reaction

the process by which atoms or groups of atoms in substances are reorganized into different substances

chemical equation

a representation of a chemical reaction that uses symbols to show the relationship between the reactants and the products

reactant(s)

substances that enter into a chemical reaction

product(s)

the substances that are formed by the chemical change

activation energy

energy that is needed to get a reaction started

exothermic reaction

a chemical reaction in which energy is released to the surroundings

endothermic reaction

A reaction in which energy is absorbed from surroundings