Definitions Flashcards
acid
a species that releases H+ ions in aqueous solutions
activation energy
the minimum energy required for a reaction to take place by the breaking of bonds
actual yield
the amount of product obtained from a reaction
addition polymerisation
formation of a very long molecular chain (an addition polymer) by the repeated addition of many unsaturated alkene molecules (monomers)
addition reaction
a reaction in which a reactant is added to an unsaturated molecule to make one saturated molecule
adsorption
the process that occurs when a gas or a liquid or a solute is weakly bonded and held to the surface of a SOLID
alicyclic
an aliphatic compound with the carbon atoms arranged in a non-aromatic ring, with or without side chains
aliphatic
a compound containing carbon and hydrogen atoms joined together in straight/unbranched, branched chains or non aromatic rings
aromatic
some or all of the carbon atoms are found in a benzene ring
alkali
a base that dissolves in water and aqueous solutions to release hydroxide ions OH-
alkanes
the hydrocarbon homologous series with the general formula CnH2n+2, saturated, with only single bonds, sigma bonds
alkenes
the hydrocarbon homologous series with the general formula CnH2n, unsaturated with a carbon-carbon double bond, compromising a pi and sigma bond
alkyl group
a SIDE chain formed by removing a hydrogen atom from an ALKANE parent chain, shown by R, and usually have the general formula CnH2n+1
amount of substance
the quantity whose unit is the mole. Chemists use this as a means of counting particles
anhydrous
containing no water molecules
anion
a negatively charged ion with MORE ELECTRONS THAN PROTONS
atom economy
measure of how well atoms have been utilised in a chemical reaction: sum of molar masses of desired products/ sum of molar masses of all products x 100
atomic number Z
the number of protons in the NUCLEUS of an atom
atomic orbital
a region around the nucleus of an atom that can hold up to 2 electrons with opposite spins. a region around the nucleus where there is a high probability of finding an electron
average bond enthalpy
the average enthalpy change that takes place when breaking by homiletic fission 1 mol of a given type of bond in the molecules of a GASEOUS species
avogadro constant
Na, 6.02 x 10^23 mol-1, the number of atoms PER MOLE of carbon 12
avogadro’s hypothesis
equal volumes of gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules
base
a compound that neutralises an acid to form a salt
binary compound
a compound containing 2 elements only