The Abc’s of Chemistry
This is a list of chemistry words and their respective definitions by each letter of the alphabet.
Anion
An Anion carries a negative charge.
It can be formed from nonmetals by reduction.
Salts are made up of anions and cations.
Balanced equation
A Balanced equation takes into account what substances are involved in the reaction.
It also shows how much of an element is involved.
Here is an example: H2O.
Catalyst
A Catalyst is usually metals, the oxides or sulfides.
During the reaction between the chemical intermediates and the reactants the catalyst is regenerated.
It also increases the rate of a reaction without losing it.
Double covalent bond
A Double Covalent Bond consists of two pairs of shared electrons.
An is example O2.
It is shown conventionally by two lines joining the atoms.
A Lewis structure of carbon dioxide, CO 2 . Structure drawn in ChemBioDraw Ultra 12.0. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A Lewis structure of carbon dioxide, CO 2 . Structure drawn in ChemBioDraw Ultra 12.0. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Electron
An Electron combines with protons and neutrons to make atoms.
They have a negative electrical charge.
When electrons move energy levels they absorb or emit a photon.
Gamma Rays
Gamma Rays have the smallest wavelengths of all the waves in the electromagnetic spectrum.
They are generated by radioactive atoms in nuclear explosions.
They can also kill living cells.
Hydrogen Bond
A Hydrogen Bond is a rare case of dipole forces.
It is a chemical bond consisting of at least one hydrogen with another element.
They occur in molecules and water.
Ion
An Ion is an atom or group of atoms that is positively or negatively charged.
They are produced during electrolysis.
They can also gain or lose electrons
Kelvin Scale
The zero point of the Kelvin Scale is equivalent to -273.15 Celcius.
It was developed by Lord Kelvin in the 19th century.
It is widely used by scientists.
The Law of Conservation of Energy
The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy may neither be created or destroyed.
It proves that energy remains constant.
James Joule invented it.
Mass
Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object.
It is usually measured in grams or kilograms.
All mechanical quantities can be defined in mass.
Nucleus
The Nucleus is surrounded by a double membrane.
The nucleus contains the genetic material of the cell.
It is also a fundamental arrangement of atoms that occur in compounds through substitution of atoms without a change in structure.
Octet Rule
The Octet Rule states that atoms gain or lose electrons so they always have eight electrons in their out electron shell.
There are still many bonding situations where that does not apply.
The octet rule is very stable because the orbitals are completely filled.
pH scale
The pH scale measure how acidic or basic a substance is.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14.
A pH of higher than 7 is basic, lower than 7 is acidic and if its 7 then it is neutral.
Radiation chemistry
Radiation chemistry is the study of chemical effects of radiation on matter.
An example is the conversion of water into hydrogen gas and hydrogen peroxide.
Unstable atomic nuclei released during decomposition are called radiation.
Solid
Solid is a state of matter when particles are relatively stable due to their shape and volume.
The stuff in a solid tend to be closer together than gas or liquid.
An example is wood, rock or a penny.
Temperature
Temperature is a measure of “hotness” or “coldness” of a substance.
It actually indicates the direction in which energy flows.
Temperature is measured with a thermometer.
Unshared Pair
An Unshared Pair is electrons not used in bonding to form a molecule.
Ammonia (NH3) is an example of an unshared pair.
There is one unshared pair in hydrogen.
VSEPR Theory
The VSEPR Theory is used for chemists to predict the shapes of molecules.
It predicts electron pairs will go away from each other to stop repulsions.
It is based on the number of regions of high electron density around a central atom.
Weight
To calculate Weight you must sum the atomic weights of the atoms making up the substance’s molecular formula.
In chemistry the molecular weight us the mass of a molecule of a substance.
The molecular weight of a hydrogen (H2) is 2 if you round.
A Lewis structure of carbon dioxide, CO 2 . Structure drawn in ChemBioDraw Ultra 12.0. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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