Chemical Reactions - High School

Need to learn about chemical reactions? All it takes a little concentration to absorb this essential vocabulary. Review chemical bonds, oxidation, ions, catalysts, and more.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. absorb
    suck or take up or in
  2. acid
    a sour water-soluble compound with a pH of less than 7
  3. activation energy
    the energy that an atomic system must acquire before a process (such as an emission or reaction) can occur
  4. ammonium chloride
    a white salt used in dry cells
  5. anion
    a particle with a negative electric charge
  6. atom
    the smallest component of an element
  7. balance
    bring into equilibrium
  8. base
    a compound reacting with an acid to form a salt and water
  9. binary compound
    chemical compound composed of only two elements
  10. boiling point
    the temperature at which a liquid boils at sea level
  11. Boyle's law
    the pressure of an ideal gas at constant temperature varies inversely with the volume
  12. calcium chloride
    a deliquescent salt; used in de-icing and as a drying agent
  13. carbon
    an abundant nonmetallic element in all organic compounds
  14. catalyst
    substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction
  15. cation
    a particle with a positive electric charge
  16. chemical
    material produced by changes in atoms or molecules
  17. chemical bond
    an electrical force linking atoms
  18. chemical change
    process determined by substances' composition and structure
  19. chemical energy
    that part of the energy in a substance that can be released by a chemical reaction
  20. chemical formula
    a representation of a substance using symbols for its constituent elements
  21. chemical property
    a property used to characterize materials in reactions that change their identity
  22. chlorine
    a chemical commonly used to purify water or to disinfect
  23. coefficient
    a constant number that serves as a measure of some property
  24. collision
    a brief event in which two or more particles come together
  25. combustion
    a reaction of a substance with oxygen to give heat and light
  26. compound
    a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements
  27. concentration
    the strength of a solution
  28. covalent bond
    a chemical bond that involves sharing a pair of electrons between atoms in a molecule
  29. decomposition
    separation of a substance into two or more substances
  30. decomposition reaction
    (chemistry) separation of a substance into two or more substances that may differ from each other and from the original substance
  31. diatomic
    of or relating to a molecule made up of two atoms
  32. dissolve
    pass into a solution
  33. double replacement reaction
    a chemical reaction between two compounds where the positive ion of one compound is exchanged with the positive ion of another compound
  34. electron
    an elementary particle with negative charge
  35. element
    a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances
  36. empirical formula
    a chemical formula showing the ratio of elements in a compound rather than the total number of atoms
  37. endothermic
    occurring or formed with absorption of heat
  38. enzyme
    a complex protein produced by cells that acts as a catalyst
  39. equilibrium
    a chemical reaction and its reverse proceed at equal rates
  40. exothermic
    occurring or formed with the release of heat
  41. formula
    a symbolic representation of the composition of a compound
  42. fuel
    a substance that can be consumed to produce energy
  43. gas
    state of matter distinguished from solid and liquid states
  44. graduated cylinder
    a container marked with lines and used to measure liquid
  45. gram
    a unit of mass approximately equal to 0.035 ounces
  46. heat
    a form of energy transferred by a difference in temperature
  47. hydrate
    any compound that contains water of crystallization
  48. hydrogen
    a colorless, odorless gas; the lightest chemical element
  49. inhibitor
    a substance that slows or stops an activity
  50. inorganic compound
    any compound that does not contain carbon
  51. ion
    a particle that is electrically charged positive or negative
  52. ionic bond
    a chemical bond between oppositely charged ions
  53. Kelvin
    British physicist who invented the Kelvin scale of temperature and pioneered undersea telegraphy (1824-1907)
  54. kinetic energy
    the mechanical energy that a body has by virtue of motion
  55. law of conservation of matter
    a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system
  56. law of definite proportions
    (chemistry) law stating that every pure substance always contains the same elements combined in the same proportions by weight
  57. Le Chatelier's principle
    the principle that if any change is imposed on a system that is in equilibrium then the system tends to adjust to a new equilibrium counteracting the change
  58. light
    electromagnetic radiation that can produce visual sensation
  59. mass
    the property of a body that causes it to have weight
  60. matter
    that which has mass and occupies space
  61. melting point
    the temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid
  62. metal
    a chemical element or alloy that is usually a shiny solid
  63. mole
    the molecular mass of a substance expressed in grams
  64. molecular formula
    a chemical formula based on analysis and molecular weight
  65. molecule
    the simplest structural unit of an element or compound
  66. neutron
    a subatomic particle with zero charge
  67. oxidation
    the process by which a substance combines with oxygen
  68. oxidation number
    the degree of oxidation of an atom or ion or molecule
  69. oxidation-reduction
    a reversible chemical reaction in which one reaction is an oxidation and the reverse is a reduction
  70. oxidize
    enter into a combination with oxygen
  71. oxygen
    a colorless, odorless gas that is essential for respiration
  72. particle
    a body having finite mass but negligible dimensions
  73. periodic table
    arrangement of chemical elements according to atomic number
  74. pH
    a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution
  75. physical change
    a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a change in chemical composition
  76. polyatomic
    of or relating to a molecule made up of more than two atoms
  77. precipitate
    separate as a fine suspension of solid particles
  78. product
    a chemical substance formed as a result of a reaction
  79. property
    a basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class
  80. proton
    a stable particle with positive charge
  81. reactant
    a substance that is altered during a chemical process
  82. reaction
    a process in which a substance is changed into another
  83. sodium
    a silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group; occurs abundantly in natural compounds (especially in salt water); burns with a yellow flame and reacts violently in water; occurs in sea water and in the mineral halite (rock salt)
  84. sodium hydroxide
    a strongly alkaline caustic used in manufacturing soap and paper and aluminum and various sodium compounds
  85. specific heat
    the heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance one degree centigrade
  86. stoichiometry
    (chemistry) the relation between the quantities of substances that take part in a reaction or form a compound (typically a ratio of whole integers)
  87. STP
    standard temperature and pressure
  88. structural formula
    an expanded molecular formula showing the arrangement of atoms within the molecule
  89. subscript
    character printed slightly below and to the side of another
  90. substance
    a particular kind of matter with uniform properties
  91. synthesis
    the process of producing a chemical compound
  92. thermodynamics
    physics concerned with heat and other forms of energy
  93. yield
    an amount of a product
Created on Wed Feb 22 18:48:33 EST 2017 (updated Mon Apr 10 15:26:53 EDT 2017)

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