Chemistry Concepts: Matter, Isotopes, Ions, and Atomic Mass

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on classification of matter, isotopes, positive and negative ions, and average atomic mass calculations.

Compound

A substance composed of different elements or atoms that are chemically bonded together.

Mixture

A combination of matter in which different particles are present but not all chemically bonded together.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture that is not uniform in composition.

Average Atomic Mass

The weighted average mass of an element's naturally occurring isotopes, calculated using the formula $\text{Average atomic mass} = \Sigma(\text{mass} \times \text{decimal abundance})$.

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons (such as Carbon having $6$ protons) but different numbers of neutrons.

Ion

An atom that has an electrical charge because it has gained or lost electrons.

Cation

A positive ion formed when an atom loses electrons, such as losing $2$ electrons to produce a charge of $+2$.

Negative Ion

An ion formed when an atom gains electrons, such as gaining $1$ electron to produce a charge of $-1$.

Decimal Abundance

The natural percentage abundance of an isotope converted to decimal form (for example, $50\% \rightarrow 0.50$, $25\% \rightarrow 0.25$, or $80\% \rightarrow 0.80$) for average atomic mass calculations.