Inorganic Chemistry Lecture Review

Flashcards covering the fundamentals of inorganic chemistry, including atomic structure, chemical bonding, solutions, and pH balance.

What are the subatomic particles located in the nucleus of an atom, and what are their respective charges and atomic masses?

Protons (Atomic mass: $1$, Charge: $+1$) and Neutrons (Atomic mass: $1$, Charge: $0$).

What subatomic particle orbits the nucleus, and what are its properties?

Electrons, which have an atomic mass of $0$ and a charge of $-1$, orbiting in different energy levels or shells.

How is the atomic number of an atom determined, and what does it signify?

The atomic number equals the number of protons and determines the element's identity.

What is the formula for calculating the atomic mass of an atom?

# protons + # neutrons

What are isotopes?

Atoms with the same atomic number but different atomic masses.

Identify the symbols for these elements: Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sodium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Chlorine, Potassium, Calcium, and Iron.

$H$, $C$, $N$, $O$, $Na$, $Mg$, $P$, $Cl$, $K$, $Ca$, and $Fe$.

What defines a radioactive isotope (radioisotope)?

An isotope with an unstable nucleus that decays to form other isotopes or elements, emitting detectable radiation.

What is the difference between a cation and an anion?

A cation has fewer electrons than protons and a positive charge, while an anion has more electrons than protons and a negative charge.

How is a compound distinguished from a general molecule?

A molecule consists of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds, whereas a compound is a molecule that contains at least two different elements.

What are the filling rules for electron shells in most organisms?

The inner shell is filled first with up to $2$ electrons, and subsequent shells are filled from inside to outside with a maximum of $8$ electrons each.

What is the Octet Rule?

Atoms attempt to achieve stability with $8$ valence electrons, or $2$ valence electrons for $H$ and $He$, in their outermost shell.

What occurs during ionic bonding?

One atom (the acceptor) takes electrons from another atom (the donor), resulting in the formation of charged biological ions.

How do nonpolar and polar covalent bonds differ?

Nonpolar covalent bonds involve equal sharing of electrons and result in uncharged atoms; polar covalent bonds involve unequal sharing and result in partially charged atoms.

What characterizes a hydrogen bond?

It is an attraction between a hydrogen atom with a partial positive charge (resulting from a polar covalent bond) and an atom with a partial negative charge.

What are the three categories of tonicity relative to solute concentrations?

Isotonic (equal concentrations), Hypertonic (higher solute concentration), and Hypotonic (lower solute concentration).

What is the chemical equation for the self-ionization of water?

$$H_2O \rightleftharpoons H^+ + OH^-$$

What do acids dissociate into when dissolved in water?

They dissociate into protons ($H^+$) and anions, acting as proton donors.

What do bases dissociate into when dissolved in water?

They dissociate into hydroxide ions ($OH^-$) and cations, acting as proton acceptors.

What is the definition of a salt in aqueous solution?

A substance that dissociates into cations and anions that are not $H^+$ or $OH^-$.

How is the pH scale used to describe solutions?

pH is a measure of proton concentration where $pH = 7$ is neutral ($H^+ = OH^-$), $pH < 7$ is acidic (more $H^+$), and $pH > 7$ is basic/alkaline (more $OH^-$).