Chemistry Vocab

Physical change

A change in matter which does not alter the chemical properties of the matter. 

Chemical change

process that leads to the chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. When chemical reactions occur, the atoms are rearranged, and the reaction is accompanied by an energy change as new products are generated. 

Atom

the smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist. Atoms make up everything. 

Proton

A subatomic particle which is positive in charge and found in an atom's nuclei. 

Electron

A subatomic particle which is negative and found in orbit around the atom’s nuclei. 

Neutron

A subatomic particle which has no charge and found in the nuclei of an atom. 

Nucleus

the small, dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom, 

Element

A chemical element is a chemical substance that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical reactions. The basic particle that constitutes a chemical element is the atom. Elements are identified by the number of protons in their nucleus, known as the element's atomic number. 

Ion

an atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons. 

Compound

Substances made of two or more elements that have been chemically combined. 

Chemical reaction

process that involves rearrangement of the molecular or ionic structure of a substance, as distinct from a change in physical form or a nuclear reaction. 

Chemical word equation

A chemical reaction expressed in words 

Chemical symbol equation

A chemical reaction expressed in symbols 

Conservation of mass

mass is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions. 

Acid

a substance with particular chemical properties including turning litmus red, neutralizing alkalis, and dissolving some metals; typically, a corrosive or sour-tasting liquid of this kind

Base

This acts as an acid opposite and will remove hydrogen ions from a solution.  

Alkali

Soluble bases, many release hydroxide ions when dissolved in water. 

Concentrated

unit that reports the amount of solute present in a known amount of solution 

Dilute

make (a liquid) thinner or weaker by adding water or another solvent to it. 

Neutralization

chemical reaction in which acid and a base react with an equivalent quantity of each other. In a reaction in water, neutralization results in there being no excess of hydrogen or hydroxide ions present in the solution. This should produce water and salt.  

Litmus paper

Litmus paper is a piece of paper that produces a result which can be used as a pH indicator. Litmus is mainly used to assess whether a solution is acidic or basic

Universal indicator

Test to test how acidic/basic a substance is. Used a a more defined pH indicator