Structure and Properties of Matter - Introductory

If you want a solid grasp of the properties of matter, review this vocabulary list. You'll learn about the phases of matter, the structure of atoms, and the properties of different elements. It's mind over matter!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. absorbency
    the property of being absorbent
  2. acid
    a sour water-soluble compound with a pH of less than 7
  3. acidic
    having a pH of less than 7
  4. alkali metal
    any of the monovalent metals of group I of the periodic table (lithium or sodium or potassium or rubidium or cesium or francium)
  5. alkaline-earth metal
    any of the bivalent metals of group II of the periodic table
  6. amorphous
    without real or apparent crystalline form
  7. anion
    a particle with a negative electric charge
  8. atom
    the smallest component of an element
  9. atomic mass
    the property of an atom that causes it to have weight
  10. atomic number
    quantity of protons in the nucleus of an atom of an element
  11. atomic weight
    (chemistry) the mass of an atom of a chemical element expressed in atomic mass units
  12. attraction
    the force that one object exerts on another
  13. attractive
    having the ability to draw or pull
  14. base
    a compound reacting with an acid to form a salt and water
  15. basic
    of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base
  16. boiling point
    the temperature at which a liquid boils at sea level
  17. brittle
    having little elasticity
  18. brittleness
    the trait of being firm but easily broken
  19. buoyancy
    the tendency to float in water or other liquid
  20. chemical bond
    an electrical force linking atoms
  21. chemical change
    process determined by substances' composition and structure
  22. chemical property
    a property used to characterize materials in reactions that change their identity
  23. composition
    the way in which someone or something is put together
  24. compound
    a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements
  25. concentration
    the strength of a solution
  26. condensation
    process of changing from a gas to a liquid or solid state
  27. conduction
    the transmission of heat or electricity or sound
  28. conductive
    able to easily transmit electricity, heat, sound, or other energy
  29. conductivity
    the property of transmitting heat, electricity, or sound
  30. conductor
    a device designed to transmit electricity or heat
  31. configuration
    an arrangement of parts or elements
  32. crystal
    a solid having a highly regular atomic structure
  33. density
    the amount per unit size
  34. dissolve
    pass into a solution
  35. ductile
    capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
  36. electric charge
    the quantity of unbalanced electricity in a body (either positive or negative) and construed as an excess or deficiency of electrons
  37. electrical
    relating to or concerned with electricity
  38. electron
    an elementary particle with negative charge
  39. element
    a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances
  40. evaporate
    change into gas or steam
  41. evaporation
    the process of becoming a suspension of particles in the air
  42. flammability
    the quality of being easily ignited and burning rapidly
  43. flexibility
    the property of being easily bent or shaped
  44. freezing point
    the temperature below which a liquid turns into a solid
  45. gas
    state of matter distinguished from solid and liquid states
  46. hardness
    the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure
  47. insulator
    a material with little electrical or thermal conductivity
  48. ion
    a particle that is electrically charged positive or negative
  49. law of conservation of mass
    a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system
  50. law of conservation of matter
    a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system
  51. liquid
    fluid matter having no fixed shape but a fixed volume
  52. luster
    the property of something that shines with reflected light
  53. magnetic
    of or relating to or caused by attraction for iron
  54. magnetism
    attraction for iron
  55. malleable
    capable of being shaped or bent
  56. mass
    the property of a body that causes it to have weight
  57. matter
    that which has mass and occupies space
  58. melting point
    the temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid
  59. metal
    a chemical element or alloy that is usually a shiny solid
  60. mineral
    a solid inorganic substance occurring in nature
  61. mixture
    a substance consisting of substances blended together
  62. molecule
    the simplest structural unit of an element or compound
  63. neutron
    a subatomic particle with zero charge
  64. nonmetal
    not resembling shiny, malleable, conductive elements
  65. particle
    a body having finite mass but negligible dimensions
  66. pH
    a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution
  67. physical change
    a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a change in chemical composition
  68. physical property
    any property used to characterize matter and energy and their interactions
  69. plasma
    a fourth state of matter distinct from solid, liquid or gas
  70. pressure
    the act of putting pressure on something
  71. property
    a basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class
  72. proton
    a stable particle with positive charge
  73. reaction
    a process in which a substance is changed into another
  74. reactivity
    ready susceptibility to chemical change
  75. reflectivity
    the ability to reflect beams or rays
  76. repulsion
    the force by which bodies push back against one another
  77. solid
    matter with definite shape at room temperature and pressure
  78. solubility
    the quality of being easily dissolved in liquid
  79. solution
    a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances
  80. solvent
    a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances
  81. stability
    the quality of being enduring and free from change
  82. state of matter
    (chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container)
  83. structure
    a complex entity made of many parts
  84. sublimation
    a change directly from the solid to the gaseous state
  85. surface tension
    phenomenon at a liquid's surface from intermolecular forces
  86. suspension
    a mixture in which fine particles are supported by buoyancy
  87. temperature
    the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment
  88. texture
    the physical composition of something
  89. viscosity
    resistance of a liquid to flowing
  90. volume
    the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
  91. weight
    the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
Created on Thu Feb 23 18:10:33 EST 2017 (updated Wed Apr 19 13:13:16 EDT 2017)

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