What is Chemistry Glossary and Terms? | Types, Definition, Structure, Function & Facts

Acid – Acids are compounds with a pH below 7 that form hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. Acids react when they come in contact with bases and some metals to form salts.

Alkali metals – Alkali metals are the elements in the first column of the periodic table, with the exception of hydrogen.

Alkaline Earth Metals – Alkaline earth metals are the elements in the second column of the periodic table.

Alloy – An alloy is a metallic mixture of two or more elements. Examples of alloys include brass, brass, and steel.

Allotropes – Allotropes are different forms in which the same element can exist. For example, the element carbon can be in the form of isotropic graphite or isotropic diamond.

Aqueous solution – Any solution in which water is the solvent.

Atom – The atom is the basic unit of matter and the smallest unit of an element. It consists of a nucleus surrounded by an electron cloud.

Base – A base is any substance with a pH greater than 7. A base is defined as giving a valence electron pair.

Biochemistry – The study of chemical processes involved in living organisms.

Bond – The force of attraction between atoms that form a chemical substance.

Bunsen burner – A flame-producing chemistry lab device used for laboratory experiments.

Carbon cycle – A method by which carbon is continuously moving in the biosphere.

Catalyst – A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction. The catalyst is not consumed in the reaction.

Chemical reaction – A process in which a set of substances undergo a chemical change to form another substance.

Compound – A chemical compound is a pure substance consisting of two or more elements.

Conductor – Conductors are materials that allow the flow of energy such as heat or electricity through.

Covalent bond – Covalent bonds occur between atoms sharing a pair of electrons to achieve a complete outer shell.

Density – Density is the mass per unit volume of a substance.

Distillation – The process of separating a mixture by boiling a liquid and then recovering the cooled gas.

Ductile – The ability of a material to be drawn into a long thread.

Electrolysis – A process used to induce a chemical reaction using an electric current. It is often used to separate elements.

Electron – Particle of an atom that orbits the nucleus of the atom and carries a negative charge.

Element – A pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom. Each atom of an element is identified by an atomic number which is the number of protons in the nucleus.

Ion – An atom or molecule that has a negative or positive charge because the number of electrons is not equal to the number of protons.

Ionic bond – Ionic bonding occurs when an electron is exchanged between atoms for a complete outer shell.

Isotopes – Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.

Malleable – A substance is said to be ductile if it can be forged into a thin sheet.

Metal – Good conductor of heat and electricity. They are usually malleable, malleable, and shiny.

Mixture – A combination of two or more substances that do not combine chemically.

Molecule – A molecule forms when two or more atoms are joined together by chemical bonds.

Neutron – A particle in the nucleus of an atom that has no electrical charge.

Noble gases – A family of elements that make up column 18 of the periodic table. They are very stable due to their complete electronic outer shell.

Nucleus – The central nucleus of an atom contains protons and neutrons.

Oxidation – The name of the process in which oxygen combines with another element to form a compound.

Periodic table – A table of chemical elements arranged by atomic number.

PH scale – pH measures the activity of hydrogen ions in substances. If a substance has a pH below 7, it is said to be acidic. If its pH is greater than 7, it is said to be basic or alkaline.

Proton – A particle in the nucleus of an atom that has a positive charge.

Reaction – The process that occurs when two or more chemicals combine to form another chemical substance.

Salts – Salt is a chemical compound formed by a reaction between an acid and a base.

Solution – Is a homogeneous mixture in which a substance called a solute is completely dissolved in another substance called a solvent. For example, a solution forms when salt dissolves in water to make the solution salty.

Valence electron – An electron in an atom that can participate in a chemical bond.