aos 1

Question 1

What is an atom?

Answer 1

The smallest unit of matter used in VCE chemistry.

Question 2

What is the atomic number?

Answer 2

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.

Question 3

What are elements?

Answer 3

Materials containing just one type of atom.

Question 4

What are compounds?

Answer 4

Materials containing different types of atoms in fixed ratios.

Question 5

What are ions?

Answer 5

Elements that have either a positive or negative charge.

Question 6

What are cations?

Answer 6

Positively charged ions.

Question 7

What are anions?

Answer 7

Negatively charged ions.

Question 8

What is a chemical symbol?

Answer 8

A one or two letter representation of an element used in the Periodic Table.

Question 9

What is an electron?

Answer 9

A subatomic particle that has a negative charge which orbits around the nucleus.

Question 10

What is the mass number?

Answer 10

The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Question 11

What are isotopes?

Answer 11

Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons/mass numbers.

Have similar chemical properties but different physical properties.

Question 12

What is a molecule?

Answer 12

Two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds, of the same or different elements.

Question 13

What is the nucleus?

Answer 13

The positively charged centre of an atom, which is composed of protons and neutrons.

Question 14

What is the periodic table?

Answer 14

A chart of the elements showing the repeating pattern of their properties.

Question 15

What is a proton?

Answer 15

A subatomic particle that has a positive charge and that is found in the nucleus of an atom.

Question 16

What is a sub-atomic particle?

Answer 16

A particle which composes an atom.

Question 17

What is nuclide notation?

Answer 17

A notation that tells you the mass number A, and proton number Z, of an element symbol X.

A
X
Z

Question 18

What are blocks in the periodic table?

Answer 18

A block of the periodic table is a set of elements unified by the atomic orbitals their valence electrons or vacancies lie in.

Question 19

What is electron configuration?

Answer 19

The arrangement of electrons in the orbitals of an atom.

Question 20

What are energy shells?

Answer 20

The orbital paths of electrons found at varying distances from the nucleus.

Question 21

What is a group in the periodic table?

Answer 21

A vertical column in the periodic table, sharing similar chemical properties.

Question 22

What is an orbital?

Answer 22

A region with the highest probability of finding electrons.

Question 23

What is periodicity?

Answer 23

Characteristics of elements in a period.

Question 24

What is a period in the periodic table?

Answer 24

A horizontal row of elements in the periodic table, with the same number of energy shells.

Question 25

What is the valence shell?

Answer 25

The outermost energy shell of an atom, containing the valence electrons involved in the chemical reactions of that atom.

Question 26

What are valence shell electrons?

Answer 26

Electrons in the outermost shell.

Question 27

What is core charge?

Answer 27

A measure of the attractive force felt by the valence shell electrons towards the nucleus, found by the protons - valence electrons.

Question 28

What is atomic radius?

Answer 28

The distance from the centre of an atom to the valence electrons.

Question 29

What is the ground state of an atom?

Answer 29

When an atom's electrons occupy the lowest possible energy levels (most elements are in this state).

Question 30

What are the two exceptions of Schrödinger's model?

Answer 30

Chromium and copper.

Question 31

What is the excited state of an atom?

Answer 31

A state in which an atom has a higher potential energy than it has in its ground state, when the electrons jump to higher energy shells.

Question 32

What happens when an electron returns from excited state to ground state?

Answer 32

A photon is released.

Question 33

What are the limitations of Bohr's model?

Answer 33

- It only explains the line spectrum of hydrogen. - The electron doesn't truly orbit the nucleus in perfect circular paths. - Can't explain why shells hold only 2n^2 electrons. - Faults with third/fourth shell.

Question 34

What is isoelectronic?

Answer 34

Two atoms, ions or molecules that have the same electronic structure and same number of valence electrons.

Question 35

What is effective nuclear charge (core charge)?

Answer 35

The amount of electrons minus the amount of inner electrons.

Question 36

What is electronegativity?

Answer 36

A measure of the ability of an atom in a chemical compound to attract electrons.

Question 37

What is first ionisation energy?

Answer 37

The energy required to remove one electron from each atom in one mole of gaseous atoms to form one mole of gaseous 1+ ions.

Question 38

What is metallic character?

Answer 38

A measure of how easily an element loses a valence electron.

Question 39

What are metalloids?

Answer 39

Elements that have properties of both metals and nonmetals.

Question 40

What are noble gases?

Answer 40

Elements in group 18 of the periodic table. Have no charge, have full valence shells, and are gases under normal conditions. ## Footnote (Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, Radon)

Question 41

What is the octet rule?

Answer 41

States that atoms lose, gain or share electrons in order to acquire a full set of eight valence electrons.

Question 42

What is reactivity?

Answer 42

How readily a substance loses or gains electrons to bond with other atoms.

Question 43

What are critical elements?

Answer 43

An element heavily relied on by industry and society, which faces some form of supply uncertainty.

Question 44

What are lanthanoids?

Answer 44

Any of the series of fifteen metallic elements from lanthanum to lutetium in the periodic table.

Question 45

What does sustainable mean?

Answer 45

Able to meet the current demand for a resource without depleting the future supply.

Question 46

What does endangered mean?

Answer 46

In unsafe conditions; for a substance, subject to possible extinction.

Question 47

What are actinoids?

Answer 47

The second period at the bottom of the table.

Question 48

What are transition metals?

Answer 48

Group 3-12 metals.

Question 49

What does recycled mean?

Answer 49

Processed or treated so it can be used again.

Question 50

What is corrosion?

Answer 50

The gradual wearing away of a metal element due to a chemical reaction.

Question 51

What is a metal oxide?

Answer 51

A compound containing a metal chemically combined with oxygen.

Question 52

What is qualitative data?

Answer 52

Data in the form of recorded descriptions rather than numerical measurements.

Question 53

What is the hydrogen pop test?

Answer 53

Test used to indicate a reaction between a metal and an acid.

Question 54

What is oxidation?

Answer 54

A chemical change in which a substance combines with oxygen, as when iron oxidizes, forming rust.

Question 55

What are signs of a reaction?

Answer 55

Temperature change, color change, gas production (bubbles), precipitation.

Question 56

What happens when metals react with water?

Answer 56

Metal hydroxide (aq salt) + hydrogen.

Question 57

What happens when metals react with oxygen?

Answer 57

Metal oxide.

Question 58

What state are metals generally in?

Answer 58

Solid.

Question 59

When do magnesium and aluminum react?

Answer 59

Only in hot water.

Question 60

When do zinc and iron react?

Answer 60

Only in steam.

Question 61

What do nickel, tin, and lead not react with?

Answer 61

Water.

Question 62

Why do certain elements turn flames colors?

Answer 62

When heated they turn to excited states - when they return from this state to ground a photon is released.