Essential Chemistry Terms: Atomic Structure and Compounds
Essential Chemistry Terms
Here’s a breakdown of key chemistry terms related to atomic structure and chemical compounds:
- Aufbau Principle: The process for determining the electronic structure by filling energy levels of atoms.
- Electronic Configuration: The arrangement of electrons in the subshells and orbitals of an atom.
- Quantum: The smallest discrete quantity of energy that can be emitted or absorbed. A quantum of light energy is called a photon.
- Wave-Particle Duality: The concept that electrons exhibit properties of both particles and waves.
- Electron: An elementary subatomic particle that cannot be broken down into simpler components by chemical means.
- Spin: The intrinsic angular momentum of an electron, visualized as the rotation of the electron on its axis.
- Groups: Vertical columns in the periodic table, representing elements with similar chemical properties.
- Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: States that it is impossible to simultaneously know both the position and velocity of an electron with perfect accuracy.
- Isotopes: Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, resulting in different atomic masses.
- Periodic Law: The principle that the chemical properties of elements exhibit a periodic pattern when arranged by increasing atomic number.
- Atomic Mass: The quantity of matter contained within an atom.
- Neutron: An electrically neutral particle found in the nucleus of an atom, along with protons.
- Energy Level: A region of space surrounding the nucleus where electrons with specific energy values are likely to be found.
- Atomic Number: The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which is equal to the number of electrons in a neutral atom.
- Quantum Numbers: A set of numbers that describe the properties of an electron in an atom, including its energy, shape, and spatial orientation.
- Mass Number: The total number of protons and neutrons (nucleons) in the nucleus of an atom.
- Orbital: A region of space around the nucleus where there is a high probability of finding an electron.
- Periods: Horizontal rows in the periodic table, representing elements with increasing atomic numbers.
- Periodic Property: A characteristic of elements that repeats periodically throughout the periodic table and is dependent on atomic number.
- Proton: A positively charged particle that forms part of the nucleus of an atom.
- Cathode Ray: A beam of electrons emitted from the cathode in a vacuum tube.
- Gamma Rays: High-energy electromagnetic radiation with high frequencies and short wavelengths.
- Chemical Symbol: A shorthand notation for an element, representing one atom of that element and its atomic mass.
- Sublevel: A division of energy within a particular energy level.
- Periodic Table: A tabular arrangement of the chemical elements organized by atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties.
- Periodic Trends: Patterns in the properties of elements that are repeated across the periodic table.
- Valence: The combining capacity of an atom, determined by the number of electrons in its outermost shell.
Chemical Compounds
- Strong Acid: An acid that completely ionizes in aqueous solution.
- Anhydride: A chemical compound derived from another by the removal of water.
- Strong Base: A base that completely dissociates into metal ions and hydroxide ions when dissolved in water.
- Binary Compound: A compound formed from two elements.
- Quaternary Compound: A compound formed from four elements.
- Ternary Compound: A compound formed from three elements.
- Formula: A representation of a substance showing the number and type of atoms in a molecule.
- Condensed Formula: A formula that uses subscripts to indicate the number of atoms in a molecule but does not show how they are bonded.
- Empirical Formula: A formula that shows the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.
- Chemical Function: A set of characteristic properties shared by a group of compounds.
- Functional Group: An atom or group of atoms within a molecule that is responsible for its characteristic chemical behavior.
- Hydracid: An acid formed by the combination of hydrogen with a nonmetal.
- Hydroxide: A compound characterized by the presence of the OH group bonded to a metal.
- Nomenclature: A system of naming chemical compounds.
- Oxyacid: An acid formed from hydrogen, a nonmetal, and oxygen.
- Acidic Oxide: A binary compound consisting of a nonmetal and oxygen.
- Basic Oxide: A compound consisting of a metal and oxygen.
- Oxisalt: A compound consisting of a metal, a nonmetal, and oxygen.
- Halide Salt: A compound formed by the reaction of a hydroxide with a hydrohalic acid.
- Acid Salt: A compound formed when not all of the hydrogen atoms in an acid are replaced by a metal.