General Chemistry Fundamentals
Terms in this set (20)
Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space.
The three states of matter are solid, liquid, and gas.
An atom is the smallest unit of an element that retains its chemical properties.
The periodic table organizes elements by increasing atomic number and groups elements with similar properties.
An ionic bond is formed by the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, creating oppositely charged ions.
A covalent bond is formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons.
The atomic number is the number of protons in an atom's nucleus.
Atomic mass is the weighted average mass of an element's isotopes, measured in atomic mass units (amu).
Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.
A molecule is two or more atoms chemically bonded together.
An element contains only one type of atom; a compound contains two or more different atoms chemically combined.
The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.
A chemical formula shows the types and numbers of atoms in a compound.
Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, expressed in grams per mole (g/mol).
A mole is 6.022 x 10\(23\) particles of a substance.
An empirical formula shows the simplest ratio of atoms; a molecular formula shows the actual number of atoms.
Electronegativity increases across a period and decreases down a group in the periodic table.
A polyatomic ion is a charged species composed of two or more atoms covalently bonded.
The octet rule states atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to have eight valence electrons.
Valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost shell of an atom involved in bonding.