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Chemistry Definitions

The document provides definitions and explanations of key chemistry concepts, including protons, isotopes, elements, compounds, and various types of chemical bonds. It also covers reactions, acids, bases, and properties of solutions, as well as specific terms related to organic chemistry and polymers. Overall, it serves as a comprehensive reference for fundamental chemistry terminology.

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Muhammad Nehan Yasjudan
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14 views11 pages

Chemistry Definitions

The document provides definitions and explanations of key chemistry concepts, including protons, isotopes, elements, compounds, and various types of chemical bonds. It also covers reactions, acids, bases, and properties of solutions, as well as specific terms related to organic chemistry and polymers. Overall, it serves as a comprehensive reference for fundamental chemistry terminology.

Uploaded by

Muhammad Nehan Yasjudan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chemistry Definitions

Proton/Atomic number: number of protons in the


nucleus of an atom

Nucleon/Mass number: total number of protons and


neutrons in the nucleus of an atom

Isotopes: different atoms of the same element that


have the same number of protons but different
numbers of neutrons

Element: pure substance made of only type of atom,


it cannot be divided any further into simpler
substances by chemical methods

Compound: substance made of two or more


elements chemically bonded together in fixed ratios
Mixture: two or more substances (elements and/or
compounds) mixed together that can easily be
separated by physical means, the substances are
not mixed in fixed ratios

Monatomic: a molecule which consists of only one


atom

Diatomic: a molecule which consists of two atoms

Ionic bond: strong electrostatic force of attraction


between oppositely charged ions

Covalent bond: bond formed when one or more pair


of electrons is shared between two atoms leading to
noble gas electronic configurations
Metallic bond: the electrostatic attraction between
the positive ions in a giant metallic lattice and a ‘sea’
of delocalised electrons

Macromolecule: molecule that has a giant covalent


structure

Molecular formula: the number and type of different


atoms in one molecule

Empirical formula: the simplest whole number ratio


of the different atoms or ions in a compound

Relative atomic mass (Ar): the average mass of the


isotopes of an element compared to 1/12th of the
mass of an atom of carbon-12
Relative formula mass (Mr): the sum of the relative
atomic masses of the elements present in a
compound

Electrolysis: the decomposition of an ionic


compound, when molten or in aqueous solution, by
the passage of an electric current

Activation energy: the minimum energy that colliding


particles must have to react

Catalyst: a substance which increases the rate of a


reaction by decreasing the activation energy of the
reaction and is unchanged at the end of the reaction

Enzyme: biological catalyst made of protein


Dynamic equilibrium: occurs in a reversible
reaction when
●​forward rate of reaction is equal to the
backward rate of reaction
●​concentration of reactants and products is
constant

Redox: reaction in which oxidation and reduction


occurs simultaneously

Oxidation:
●​gain of oxygen
●​loss of electrons
●​an increase in oxidation number
Reduction:
●​loss of oxygen
●​gain of electrons
●​a decrease in oxidation number

Oxidising agent: a substance that oxidises


another substance and is itself reduced

Reducing agent: a substance that reduces


another substance and is itself oxidised

Acid: proton donor

Base: proton acceptor

Strong acid: an acid that is completely dissociated


in aqueous solution
Weak acid: an acid that is partially dissociated in
aqueous solution

Amphoteric oxides: oxides that react with both


acids and bases to produce a salt and water

Hydrated substance: a substance that is


chemically combined with water

Anhydrous substance: a substance containing no


water

Water of crystallisation: the water molecules


present in hydrated crystals

Alloy: mixture of metals with other elements


Structural isomers: compounds with the same
molecular formula, but different structural
formulae

Functional group: an atom or group of atoms that


determine the chemical properties of a
homologous series

Hydrocarbon: compound containing only carbon


and hydrogen

Saturated: an organic compound with molecules


in which all carbon-carbon bonds are single
bonds
Unsaturated: an organic compound with
molecules in which one or more carbon-carbon
bonds are not single bonds, it has carbon=carbon
double bond(s)

Polyunsaturated: an organic compound which


contains multiple (more than one) carbon=carbon
double bonds

Structural formula: an unambiguous description of


the way the atoms in a molecule are arranged

Petroleum: mixture of hydrocarbons

Substitution reaction: a reaction in which one


atom or group of atoms is replaced by another
atom or group of atoms, only one product is
formed
Addition reaction: a reaction in which only one
product is formed

Condensation reaction: a reaction in which


molecules combine to form a product and another
small molecule as a byproduct

Polymers: large molecules built up from many


smaller molecules called monomers

Proteins: natural polyamides formed from amino


acid monomers

Solvent: substance that dissolves a solute

Solute: a substance that is dissolved in a solvent


Solution: a mixture of one or more solutes
dissolved in a solvent

Saturated solution: a solution containing the


maximum concentration of a solute dissolved in
the solvent at a specified temperature

Residue: a substance that remains after


evaporation, distillation, filtration or any similar
process

Filtrate: a liquid or solution that has passed


through a filter

Rf value: ratio of the distance travelled by


substance to the distance travelled by solvent

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