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Basic Chemistry
Matter – anything made of mass and takes up volume
Atom – basic unit of matter (so small that 100 million in a row only take
up 1 centimeter of space), which has sub-atomic particles smaller than
them.
Nucleus – the center of an atom which has Protons (+ charge), and
Neutrons (no charge)
•Protons and Neutrons have the same mass
Electron – the negatively
charged particle that circles
around the nucleus
•Much smaller than a proton
•Equal in numbers to the
proton
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Element – a pure substance that consists of only one type of atom
•There are over 106 known elements
•Mass Number = (Number of
•Only about 24 are commonly found
Protons) + (Number of Neutrons)
•The symbols have either 1 or 2 letters
•The atomic number is the number of protons
•They are listed on the Period Table of Elements
Mrs. Degl
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Isotopes – Atoms of the same element can have a different number of
neutrons. Some Carbon atoms have 6 neutrons and some have 7/ 8.
•Some isotopes can be radioactive (unstable nuclei that breaks
down at a constant rate over time).
Compound – when two or more elements are chemically combined
•Bonds attach one element to another to from a compound
•The compound has totally different properties than the solo element
•There are two kids of bonds: Ionic and Covalent
Covalent Bonds share an electron
Ionic Bonds transfer electrons from one to
another to from a neutral compound
Mrs. Degl
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Did you know that all living things are made up of elements?
Can you guess which four elements are the most
common in living organisms?
1. Oxygen
2. Carbon
3. Hydrogen
4. Nitrogen
Mrs. Degl
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