Chemical Reactions - Middle School

Need to learn about chemical reactions? All it takes a little concentration to absorb this essential vocabulary. Review chemical bonds, 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. atom
    the smallest component of an element
  6. balance
    bring into equilibrium
  7. base
    a compound reacting with an acid to form a salt and water
  8. binary compound
    chemical compound composed of only two elements
  9. boiling point
    the temperature at which a liquid boils at sea level
  10. Boyle's law
    the pressure of an ideal gas at constant temperature varies inversely with the volume
  11. calcium chloride
    a deliquescent salt; used in de-icing and as a drying agent
  12. carbon
    an abundant nonmetallic element in all organic compounds
  13. catalyst
    substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction
  14. chemical
    material produced by changes in atoms or molecules
  15. chemical bond
    an electrical force linking atoms
  16. chemical change
    process determined by substances' composition and structure
  17. chemical energy
    that part of the energy in a substance that can be released by a chemical reaction
  18. chemical formula
    a representation of a substance using symbols for its constituent elements
  19. chemical property
    a property used to characterize materials in reactions that change their identity
  20. chlorine
    a chemical commonly used to purify water or to disinfect
  21. coefficient
    a constant number that serves as a measure of some property
  22. collision
    a brief event in which two or more particles come together
  23. combustion
    a reaction of a substance with oxygen to give heat and light
  24. compound
    a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements
  25. concentration
    the strength of a solution
  26. covalent bond
    a chemical bond that involves sharing a pair of electrons between atoms in a molecule
  27. decomposition
    separation of a substance into two or more substances
  28. decomposition reaction
    (chemistry) separation of a substance into two or more substances that may differ from each other and from the original substance
  29. diatomic
    of or relating to a molecule made up of two atoms
  30. dissolve
    pass into a solution
  31. electron
    an elementary particle with negative charge
  32. element
    a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances
  33. endothermic
    occurring or formed with absorption of heat
  34. enzyme
    a complex protein produced by cells that acts as a catalyst
  35. equilibrium
    a chemical reaction and its reverse proceed at equal rates
  36. exothermic
    occurring or formed with the release of heat
  37. formula
    a symbolic representation of the composition of a compound
  38. fuel
    a substance that can be consumed to produce energy
  39. gas
    state of matter distinguished from solid and liquid states
  40. graduated cylinder
    a container marked with lines and used to measure liquid
  41. heat
    a form of energy transferred by a difference in temperature
  42. hydrogen
    a colorless, odorless gas; the lightest chemical element
  43. inhibitor
    a substance that slows or stops an activity
  44. ion
    a particle that is electrically charged positive or negative
  45. ionic bond
    a chemical bond between oppositely charged ions
  46. Kelvin
    British physicist who invented the Kelvin scale of temperature and pioneered undersea telegraphy (1824-1907)
  47. kinetic energy
    the mechanical energy that a body has by virtue of motion
  48. law of conservation of matter
    a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system
  49. law of definite proportions
    (chemistry) law stating that every pure substance always contains the same elements combined in the same proportions by weight
  50. light
    electromagnetic radiation that can produce visual sensation
  51. mass
    the property of a body that causes it to have weight
  52. matter
    that which has mass and occupies space
  53. melting point
    the temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid
  54. metal
    a chemical element or alloy that is usually a shiny solid
  55. mole
    the molecular mass of a substance expressed in grams
  56. molecule
    the simplest structural unit of an element or compound
  57. neutron
    a subatomic particle with zero charge
  58. oxidation
    the process by which a substance combines with oxygen
  59. oxygen
    a colorless, odorless gas that is essential for respiration
  60. particle
    a body having finite mass but negligible dimensions
  61. periodic table
    arrangement of chemical elements according to atomic number
  62. pH
    a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution
  63. physical change
    a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a change in chemical composition
  64. polyatomic
    of or relating to a molecule made up of more than two atoms
  65. precipitate
    separate as a fine suspension of solid particles
  66. product
    a chemical substance formed as a result of a reaction
  67. property
    a basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class
  68. proton
    a stable particle with positive charge
  69. reactant
    a substance that is altered during a chemical process
  70. reaction
    a process in which a substance is changed into another
  71. reactive
    participating in processes changing substances into others
  72. 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)
  73. subscript
    character printed slightly below and to the side of another
  74. substance
    a particular kind of matter with uniform properties
  75. synthesis
    the process of producing a chemical compound
  76. thermodynamics
    physics concerned with heat and other forms of energy
  77. yield
    an amount of a product
Created on Wed Feb 22 19:54:00 EST 2017 (updated Mon Apr 10 15:13:59 EDT 2017)

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