Chemistry Questions

Flashcards covering key chemistry concepts discussed in the lecture.

Element

A substance made up of only one type of atom.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in the nucleus or electrons in an atom.

Mass Number

The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

Mixture

A substance made of more than one type of atom that are not chemically joined together.

Compound

A substance made up of two or more atoms chemically joined together.

Filtration

A method of separating an insoluble solid from a liquid.

Evaporation

A method of separating a soluble solid from a liquid.

Chromatography

A technique that separates soluble substances such as dyes or inks.

Distillation

A method that separates mixtures of liquids due to differences in boiling points.

Ion

A charged particle formed when an atom either loses or gains electrons.

Reactant

A substance used up in a chemical reaction.

Product

A substance made in a chemical reaction.

Isotope

A form of an element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

Relative Atomic Mass

The mass of an average atom of that element compared with the mass of an atom of carbon-12.

Noble Gases

Elements that are very unreactive because they have a full outer shell.

Acid Rain

Rain that contains high levels of acidic components, primarily sulfuric and nitric acids.

Catalyst

A substance that speeds up a reaction without being consumed by lowering the activation energy.

Thermal Decomposition

The process by which a chemical compound is broken down into simpler substances by heat.

Filtration Stage

The stage in water treatment where smaller insoluble particles are removed through layers of sand and gravel.

Groundwater

Water that is held underground in the soil or in pores and fractures of rock.

Desalination

The process of removing salt from seawater to make it drinkable.

Hard Water

Water that contains high levels of calcium and magnesium ions.

Lithosphere

The rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

Pangaea

The supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras.

Displacement Reaction

A reaction in which a more reactive halogen displaces a less reactive halogen.

Chlorination

The process of adding chlorine to water to kill bacteria and make it safe to drink.