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Blended Schools - Chemistry A
Vocabulary: Units 1 - 4
**The Vocabulary contained within this handout was obtained from
Blended Schools Network’s Chemistry A Course via the Glossary for
each of the 4 Units within this course.
Vocabulary - Unit 1
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Analytical Chemistry - study of the composition of substances
Applied Chemistry - studying chemistry to attain a specific goal
Biochemistry - study of the chemistry of living things
Chemical Change - results in a change in the chemical composition of a substance
Chemical Property - the quality of a substance to undergo chemical reactions and to
form new substances
Chemical Reaction - a process where one or more substances are changed into new
substances
Chemical Symbol - one or two letter representation of an element
Chemistry - study of the composition of substances and the changes they undergo
Compound - substance that can be separated into two or more substances only by
chemical means
Control - what does not change in an experiment
Dependent/Responding Variable - what happens as a response to the independent
variable
Distillation - purification process in which a liquid is evaporated and then
condensed again to a liquid
Element - the simplest form of matter that can exist under normal conditions
Gas - matter that takes both the shape and volume of its container, easily
compressible
Heterogeneous Mixture - not uniform in composition, individual pieces cannot be
separated
Homogeneous Mixture - completely uniform in composition, the same throughout,
individually pieces cannot be separated physically
Hypothesis - an educated guess
Independent/Manipulated Variable - what is changed on purpose in an
experimental set-up
Inorganic Chemistry - study of substances not containing carbon
Law of Conservation of Mass - mass is neither created nor destroyed
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Liquid - matter that flows, has a fixed volume, and takes the shape of its container,
not easily compressible
Mass - the amount of matter in an object
Matter - anything that has mass and takes up space
Mixture - physical blend of two or more substances
Organic Chemistry - study of substances containing carbon
Phase - any part of a system with uniform composition
Physical Change - alters a given material without changing its composition
Physical Chemistry - study of the behavior of substances
physical property - quality of a substance that can be observed or measured without
changing its composition
product - what is formed in a chemical reaction
pure chemistry - studying chemistry for the sake of knowledge alone
reactant - starting substance in a chemical reaction
scientific law - summarizing statement of observed experimental facts that has been
tested many times and is generally accepted as true
scientific method - systematic approach to problem solving
solid - matter with definite shape and volume, has closely packed particles and is
incompressible
solution - another word for a homogeneous mixture
substance - matter with definite and uniform composition
theory - explanation of natural phenomenon that is supported by many experiments
vapor - gaseous substance that is liquid or solid at room temperature
Vocabulary - Unit 2
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Absolute Zero - The point (0 Kelvin) at which molecular/atomic motion ceases.
Alkali Metal - Group 1A elements that include lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium,
cesium and francium.
Alkaline Earth Metal - Group 2A metals that include from beryllium to radium.
Amplitude - The high of a wave from the origin to a crest.
Atomic Mass - The weighted average of the masses of all naturally abundant
isotopes of an element.
Atomic Mass Unit - A unit equal to the mass of one-twelfth the weight of one carbon12 atom. It is symbolized as amu.
Atomic Number - The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.
Atomic Orbital - A region of space where the electron is most likely to be found.
Aufbau Principle - A principle that states that electrons enter the lowest energy
orbital available.
Cathode Ray - A stream of electrons produced at the negative electrode (cathode) of
a tube containing a specific gas at a low temperature.
Celsius Scale - A scale of temperature that places the freezing point of water at 0
degrees C and the boiling point at 100 degrees C.
De Broglie's Equation - Predicts that all matter exhibits wavelike motions.
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Density - The amount of mass per a given unit of volume.
Electromagnetic Radiation - Includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves,
visible light, ultraviolet waves, x-rays and gamma rays.
Electron - The subatomic particle that carries a negative charge.
electron configuration - The way electrons are organized around the nucleus of an
atom. It also gives a energy level and orbital location for each electron.
Frequency - The number of wave cycles that pass through a given point in a second.
Ground State - The lowest energetic state for an atom.
Group - A vertical column of elements on the periodic table. It is also called a family.
Halogen - A member of Group 7A on the periodic table. (i.e., chlorine)
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle - States that it is impossible to know both the
position and velocity of an electron.
Hertz - The SI unit of frequency (cycles per second).
Hund's Rule - States that two electrons occupying the same orbital must have
opposite spins.
Isotope - Atoms of the same element that have the same atomic number but
different atomic masses due to a different number of neutrons.
Kelvin scale - The temperature scale in which the freezing point of water is 273 K
and the boiling point is 373 K; 0 K is absolute zero.
Mass - The amount of matter an object contains.
Mass Number - The number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
Metal - Elements on the left of the periodic table (except hydrogen) that have a high
electrical conductivity, are lustrous, ductile and malleable.
Metalloids - Elements with properties intermediate between metals and nonmetals.
metric system - An international system of measurement based on powers of the
number 10.
Neutron - A subatomic particle located in the nucleus that carries no charge;
therefore referred to as neutral. Symbolized as n0.
Noble Gases - Group 8A on the periodic table. Known for patterns of limited
reactivity.
Nonmetal - Occupy the upper right hand corner of the periodic table and are
generally non-lustrous and are generally poor conductors of electricity.
Nucleus - The dense, central portion of an atom that contains protons and neutrons.
Pauli's exclusion principle - This principle states that two electrons cannot have the
same set of quantum numbers.
Period - A horizontal row on the periodic table.
Periodic Law - States that when atoms are arranged in increasing atomic order,
there is a periodic repetition of their physical and chemical properties.
periodic table - An arrangement of the elements according to similarities in their
properties.
photoelectric effect - Metals eject electrons when light is shined on them.
Photon - A quantum of light.
Planck's Constant - Equal to 6.6262 x 10^-34 Js.
Principal Quantum Number - Indicates a major energy level in an atom.
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Protons - The subatomic particle located in the nucleus that carries a positive
charge. Symbolized as p+.
Representative Elements - Group A elements on the periodic table that exhibit a
wide range of chemical and physical properties.
SI units - The revised version of the metric system, adopted by international
agreement in 1960.
Temperature - A measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles of a
substance.
Transition Metals - Metals that make up Group B of the periodic table.
Volume - A measure of how much space an object occupies.
Wavelength - The distance between crests of a wave.
Vocabulary - Unit 3
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Acid - compound dissolved in water
Activity Series - lists elements in order of decreasing reactivity
Anion - ion with a negative charge that gains electrons
Aqueous - dissolved in water
Binary Ionic Compound - composed of two elements
Binary Molecular Compound - made up of two non-metals
Catalyst - substance that speeds up the rate of a reaction without being used up in a
reaction
Cation - ion with a positive charge that loses electrons
Chemical Bonds - what holds compounds together
Combination/Synthesis Reaction - two or more substances combine to form a single
substance
Complete Ionic Equation - an equation that shows dissolved ionic compounds and
their free ions
Decomposition Reaction - one compound breaks down or decomposes into two
simpler compounds
Double Replacement Reaction - involves an exchange of cations between two
reacting compounds
Electron - negatively charged subatomic particle
Formula Unit - chemical formula for an ionic compound
Ion - atom or groups of atoms that have a positive or negative charge
Ionic Compound - composed of cations (metals) and anions (non-metals)
Law of Conservation of Mass/Matter - Mass or matter can neither be created or
destroyed
Molecular Compound - made up of two or more non-metals
Monatomic Ion - ions made up of only one atom
Net Ionic Equation - equation that shows only the particles that take place in the
reaction
Polyatomic Ion - ion made up of two or more ions that carry a charge
Precipitate - solid formed in solution during a chemical reaction
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Product - substance formed in a chemical reaction
Reactant - starting substance in a chemical reaction
Single Replacement Reaction - one element replaces a second element in a
compound
Soluble - able to dissolve
Spectator Ions - ions not directly involved with the reaction
Ternary Ionic Compound - compounds that contain ions of three different elements,
one which is usually a polyatomic ion
Valence Electron - electrons in the outermost energy level of an atom
Vocabulary - Unit 4
Absolute Zero - The point (0 Kelvin) at which molecular/atomic motion ceases.
Accuracy - How close a measurement is to the accepted, true value reported for that
measurement.
Actual Yield - The amount of product obtained in the actual reaction in the
laboratory.
Atomic Mass Unit - Defined as 1/12 the mass of the carbon-12 atom.
Avogadro's Number - The number of pieces (particles, ions, atoms, molecules, etc.)
in one mole of a substance. (6.022 x 10^23)
Celsius Scale - A scale of temperature that places the freezing point of water at 0
degrees C and the boiling point at 100 degrees C.
Conversion Factor - A ratio that states the equality between different units. For
example, 2.54 cm per 1 inch or 1 inch per 2.54 cm.
Density - The amount of mass per a given unit of volume.
Dimensional Analysis - A way to convert one unit to another unit by treating units as
algebraic quantities.
Empirical Formula - A formula where the lowest whole-number ratio of elements in
a compound; the empirical formula of hydrogen peroxide (H202) is HO.
Formula Unit - The lowest whole-number ratio of ions in an ionic compound; in
magnesium chloride, the ratio of magnesium ions to chloride ions is 1:2 and the
formula unit is MgCl2.
Formula Weight - Specifically, the molar mass for an ionic compound.
Kelvin scale - The temperature scale in which the freezing point of water is 273 K
and the boiling point is 373 K; 0 K is absolute zero.
Limiting Reactant - The reactant in a chemical equation that runs out first.
Mass - The amount of matter an object contains.
Metric System - An international system of measurement based on powers of the
number 10.
Molar Mass - A general term used to represent how many grams of substance are in
one mole of that substance.
Mole - A macroscopic unit used for counting amounts in chemistry. The mole is
defined as 12.011 g of the carbon-12 atom. One mole of a substance contains the
molar mass of that substance, in grams.
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Molecular Formula - A chemical formula that shows the actual number and kinds of
atom present in one molecule of a compound.
Molecular Weight - Specifically, it is the molar mass of a molecule.
Percent Composition - The amount of a certain element (by mass) in a given
compound.
Percent Yield - The ratio of the actual yield to the theoretical yield.
Precision - Often a synonym for repeatability, this term describes multiple
measurements that are close to one another in value.
SI Units - The revised version of the metric system, adopted by international
agreement in 1960.
Significant Figure - All the digits that can be known precisely in a measurement, plus
a last digit which is estimated.
Stoichiometry - Literally, "to measure" or "to count" elements, this word describes
the chemistry that deals with amounts of reactants and products.
Temperature - A measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles of a
substance.
Theoretical Yield - The amount of product formed based on the stoichiometry
Volume - A measure of how much space an object occupies.
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