Chem part 2: Matter, Measurements, Density, and Temperature

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the classification of matter, physical states, problem-solving unit conversions, density, specific gravity, and temperature scales.

Matter

Anything that has mass and occupies space, making up all materials such as water, wood, and plastic.

Pure Substance

Matter that has a fixed or definite composition, classified either as an element or a compound.

Element

A pure substance that contains only one type of atom or material, such as copper ($\text{Cu}$), lead ($\text{Pb}$), or aluminum ($\text{Al}$).

Compound

A pure substance consisting of two or more elements chemically combined in a fixed, definite proportion (e.g., $\text{NaCl}$, $\text{H}_2\text{O}$, $\text{H}_2\text{O}_2$).

Mixture

Matter composed of two or more substances that are physically mixed but not chemically combined, which can be separated by physical methods such as filtration or chromatography.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture in which the composition is uniform throughout and the individual parts are not visibly distinguishable (e.g., brass, nitrox gas, sugar water).

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture in which the composition varies from one region to another and the different components remain visible (e.g., copper in water, peach pie).

Nitrox

A homogeneous scuba breathing mixture composed of oxygen and nitrogen gases.

Solid

A physical state of matter that has a definite shape, a definite volume, particles in a fixed and very close arrangement, very strong interactions, and very slow particle movement.

Liquid

A physical state of matter that has a definite volume but takes the shape of its container, with particles arranged randomly and close together, strong interactions, and moderate movement.

Gas

A physical state of matter that takes the shape and fills the volume of its container, characterized by particles that are random and far apart, essentially no particle interactions, and very fast movement.

Conversion Factor

A ratio established from an equality between two units, structured as a fraction used to convert a quantity from one unit to another.

Density

A physical property comparing an object's mass to its volume, defined mathematically as $\text{Density} = \frac{\text{mass of substance}}{\text{volume of substance}}$.

Volume Displacement

A technique to calculate the volume of an insoluble solid by measuring the volume increase of water when the solid is completely submerged.

Specific Gravity

A unitless relationship comparing the density of a substance to the density of water at $4\,^{\circ}\text{C}$ ($1.00\,\text{g/mL}$), calculated as $\text{Specific gravity} = \frac{\text{density of sample}}{\text{density of water}}$.

Hydrometer

An instrument calibrated to float in a liquid to measure its specific gravity directly, frequently used in clinical settings to measure urine specific gravity.

Osteoporosis

A medical condition marked by severe thinning and loss of bone minerals, resulting in reduced bone density detectable by low-dose X-rays.

Temperature

A measure of how hot or cold an object is compared to another object, measured with a thermometer and reported in Celsius ($^{\circ}\text{C}$) in science.

Absolute Zero

The lowest possible theoretical temperature, defined as $0\,\text{K}$ or $-273\,^{\circ}\text{C}$, at which particles possess minimum kinetic energy.

Hyperthermia

A condition in which body temperature elevates above $41\,^{\circ}\text{C}$, which can lead to convulsions and permanent brain damage.

Hypothermia

A medical emergency where core body temperature falls significantly below normal, potentially dropping as low as $28.5\,^{\circ}\text{C}$.