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General Chemistry Fundamentals

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  • What does the atomic number represent?
    The atomic number is the number of protons in an atom's nucleus.
  • What is the mass number of an atom?
    The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
  • Name the three main types of chemical bonds.
    The three main types are ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds.
  • How do ionic bonds form?
    Ionic bonds form by the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, creating ions.
  • What characterizes covalent bonds?
    Covalent bonds involve the sharing of electron pairs between atoms.
  • What is a metallic bond?
    A metallic bond is the sharing of free electrons among a lattice of metal atoms.
  • List key periodic table trends.
    Important trends include electronegativity, atomic radius, ionization energy, and reactivity.
  • What is electronegativity?
    Electronegativity is an atom's ability to attract electrons in a chemical bond.
  • How does atomic radius change across a period?
    Atomic radius decreases from left to right across a period due to increasing nuclear charge.
  • What happens to ionization energy across a period?
    Ionization energy generally increases from left to right across a period.
  • Define ionization energy.
    Ionization energy is the energy required to remove an electron from an atom.
  • What is a chemical reaction?
    A chemical reaction involves the rearrangement of atoms to form new substances.
  • What are reactants and products?
    Reactants are substances before a reaction; products are substances formed after the reaction.
  • Why balance chemical equations?
    Balancing ensures the law of conservation of mass is obeyed; atoms are equal on both sides.
  • Name common types of chemical reactions.
    Common types include synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, and double replacement.
  • What is a synthesis reaction?
    A synthesis reaction combines two or more reactants to form a single product.
  • Describe a decomposition reaction.
    A decomposition reaction breaks down a compound into two or more simpler substances.
  • What occurs in a single replacement reaction?
    One element replaces another in a compound, producing a new element and compound.
  • What is a double replacement reaction?
    Two compounds exchange ions to form two new compounds.