CHEM 10013 Chapters 1-3 Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering terminology, definitions, atomic structure, naming rules, formula types, and solution properties from CHEM 10013 Chapters 1-3.

Physical property

A property that can be observed without changing the identity of the substance, such as density, color, or melting point.

Chemical property

A property describing the ability of a substance to form new substances, such as flammability or corrosion.

Physical change

A change that alters state or appearance while leaving chemical composition unchanged.

Chemical change

A change that alters chemical composition because atoms rearrange to form new substances.

Empirical science

Knowledge based on observation and experiment.

Inductive reasoning

Reasoning that proceeds from specific observations to a broader generalization.

Deductive reasoning

Reasoning that proceeds from accepted statements or rules to a specific conclusion.

Accuracy

The closeness of a measured value to the accepted value.

Precision

The closeness of repeated measurements to one another.

Random error

Measurement error that varies high or low across repeated trials.

Systematic error

Measurement error that repeatedly shifts results in one direction.

Density

An intrinsic property defined as mass per unit volume ($d = \frac{m}{V}$), which functions as a conversion factor between mass and volume.

Atomic number ($Z$)

The number of protons in an atom's nucleus, which uniquely identifies the element.

Mass number ($A$)

The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus ($A = \text{protons} + \text{neutrons}$).

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element containing the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons and different mass numbers.

Cation

A positively charged ion formed when an atom loses electrons.

Anion

A negatively charged ion formed when an atom gains electrons.

Ionic bonding

Bonding usually formed between a metal and a nonmetal through the transfer of electrons, whose basic repeating unit is a formula unit.

Covalent bonding

Bonding formed between nonmetals through electron sharing, whose basic unit is a molecule.

Formula unit

The basic repeating unit of an ionic compound representing the smallest whole-number charge-neutral ratio of ions.

Polyatomic ion

A group of covalently bonded atoms that carries an overall net positive or negative charge.

Empirical formula

A chemical formula that shows the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.

Molecular formula

A chemical formula that shows the actual number of each atom in one molecule of a compound.

Structural formula

A chemical formula that displays how atoms are connected to one another.

Condensed formula

A chemical formula that groups atoms together to suggest connectivity, such as $\text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{OH}$.

Mole

An SI amount of substance containing $6.022 \times 10^{23}$ representative particles.

Avogadro's number

The number of representative particles in $1\,\text{mol}$, equal to $6.022 \times 10^{23}$ particles.

Molar mass

The mass of $1\,\text{mol}$ of a substance expressed in $\text{g\,mol}^{-1}$, calculated by summing the atomic masses according to chemical subscripts.

Solution

A homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent present in greater amount and one or more minor components called solutes.

Strong electrolyte

A substance that dissociates or ionizes completely into ions in aqueous solution, such as soluble ionic compounds, strong acids, and strong bases.

Weak electrolyte

A substance that ionizes only partially in aqueous solution, such as weak acids and weak bases.

Nonelectrolyte

A substance that dissolves in water but remains molecular without forming ions.

Complete ionic equation

An equation showing all soluble strong electrolytes separated into their component ions in aqueous solution.

Net ionic equation

An equation obtained by canceling spectator ions from a complete ionic equation, leaving only the species directly involved in the chemical change.

Spectator ions

Ions that appear unchanged on both sides of a complete ionic equation and do not participate in the reaction.

Molarity ($M$)

A measure of concentration defined as moles of solute per liter of solution ($M = \frac{\text{moles solute}}{\text{liters solution}}$).

Dilution

The process of adding solvent to a solution to decrease its concentration while keeping total solute moles constant ($M_1 V_1 = M_2 V_2$).