Chemistry Words
- Functional group A group of atoms arranged in the same way that have the same chemical reactions
- g An abbreviation standing for "gas"
- Gas One of the three states of matter, along with solid and liquid
- Gas chromatography A technique used to separate mixtures of compounds
- Giant covalent structure A large number of covalently bonded non metal atoms in a regular arrangement
- Giant lattice An ionic structure
- Global dimming The reflection of sunlight by tiny solid particles in the air
- Global warming The warming of the Earth due to the reflection of infra red radiation by Greenhouse gases
- Glucose The product of photosynthesis in plants and the molecule used in respiration
- Graphite A carbon structure where carbon atoms are covalently bonded to three other carbons and the fourth electron is delocalised
- Greenhouse effect The warming of the Earth due to the reflection of infra red radiation
- Greenhouse gas A greenhouse gas is any gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect, e.g. carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour
- Groups The columns in the Periodic Table, eg group 7 - the halogens
- Haber process A process used to make ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen
- Haematite A rock containing iron oxide, an example of iron ore.
- Half equation An equation used to show the reaction that occurs at the electrodes during electrolysis
- Halogens Elements from group 7 of the Periodic Table, such as chlorine and bromine
- Hard A hard material is difficult to scratch, e.g. diamond
- Hard water Hard water contains ions which cause scum or limescale
- Hardening During hydrogenation of vegetable oils, the hydrogenated product has been hardened so that it has a higher melting point and is more solid at room temperature.
- Homologous series Alkanes, alkenes and alcohols are all examples of homologous series. They all contain the same functional group but different carbon chain lengths.
- Hydrated Chemicals that have water bonded in the molecule
- Hydrocarbon A compound containing only hydrogen and carbon, e.g. methane
- Hydrogenated oil A polyunsaturated oil can be hydrogenated to make it more solid at room temperature. Some of the double bonds in the polyunsaturated oil are saturated oil by reacting with hydrogen in the presence of a nickel catalyst at 60 degrees C
- Hydrogenation Adding hydrogen to a polyunsaturated oil in thr presence of a nickel catalyst at 60 degrees celcius. In the process some of the double bonds are saturated.
- Hydrophilic Water loving
- Hydrophobic Water hating
- Ignite To set fire to
- Impurities Something added to a chemical to change its properties
- Incomplete combustion Insufficient oxygen is available during combustion so carbon, carbon monoxide and water are formed
- Indicator A chemical used to determine the pH of a substance
- Inert Unreactive
- Insoluble A substance that cannot dissolve is called insoluble
- Intermolecular forces Forces between molecules
- Ion An atom that has gained or lost electrons
- Ion exchange column Is used to remove calcium ions and magnesium ions from hard water. The ions are replaced by sodium ions
- Ionic Used to describe a bond formed between a metal and a non-metal
- Ionic bonding A type of bond formed between positive and negative ions
- Ionic compound A compound made from ions involving one or more electrons being transferred between atoms
- Iron A common metal used to make steel
- Iron oxide A compound made from iron and oxygen
- Isotope An atom with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons
- l Short for liquid (as used in symbol equations)
- Lava Molten rock above the Earth's surface
- Limestone A sedimentary rock - chemical name Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3
- Limewater Calcium hydroxide. Used to test for carbon dioxide. Limewater turns cloudy if carbon dioxide is bubbled through it.
- Liquid One of the three states of matter, along with solid and gas
- Low grade ore An ore that contains little metal
- Macromolecular A very large covalent molecule. Thousands of elements share electrons to complete their outer shells forming a macromolecule. Examples invlude graphite, diamond and silicon dioxide
- Magma Molten rock below the Earth's crust
- Mantle The part of the Earth below the crust
- Mass number The number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.
- Mass spectrometer An analytical technique used to determine the relative formula mass or the relative atomic mass of substances which can be used to identify substances
- Melting point The temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid
- Metal A substance containing delocalised (free) electrons - they are good conductors of heat and electricity
- Metallic A type of bond between metal ions and delocalised electrons
- Methane A hydrocarbon containing one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. The main substance in natural gas.
- Mixture Two or more chemicals mixed together but not held together by a bond
- Molar concentration The number of moles per cubic decimetre of a solution
- Mole The relative formula mass of a substance in grams
- Molecular formula A formula which tells us the number of atoms of each element in a compound eg calcium carbonate has the molecular formula CaCO3
- Molecular ion peak The peak furthest on the right hand side on the mass spectrum which corresponds to the mass of the molecular ion
- Molecule A molecule contains atoms that are joined together
- Monomer A small molecule (usually an alkene) that can be reacted together to make a polymer
- Mortar The paste used to hold bricks or stones together
- Mr Short for "relative formula mass"
- Nanometre Nanometre, nm
- Nanoparticle A nanoparticle has a a size of 1 - 100 nm
- Nanoscience The study of nanoparticles
- Neucleus The central part of an atom
- Neutral 1. A neutral solution is neither acidic or alkaline, it has a pH of 7 2. No charge
- Neutralisation When an acid reacts with an alkali, insoluble base or carbonate to make a neutral solution
- Neutrons Sub atomic particles which have no charge. Neutrons have the same mass as protons
- Nickel catalyst A catalyst made from nickel which is used during the hydrogenation process to harden vegetable oils.
- Nitrogen oxides Compounds made from nitrogen and oxygen
- Noble gases Unreactive gases in Group ) of the periodic table
- Non-renewable Supplies of a non renewable substance will eventually run out eg fuels like petrol and diesel
- Nucleus The central part of an atom
- OIL RIG Oxidation Is Loss (of electrons), Reduction Is Gain (of electrons)
- OILRIG Oxidation Is Loss (of electrons), Reduction Is Gain (of electrons)
- Ore A substance from which it is economically viable to extract a metal
- Outer shell The outermost electron shell in an atom - it usually takes up to 2 or 8 electrons
- Oxidation A type of reaction where oxygen is added to a substance or where an atom or ion loses electrons
- Oxide A compound made up of oxygen and another metal.
- Oxygen A compound of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded together to form an oxygne molecule.
- Particle A general name for a very small thing (e.g. an atom or molecule) that everything is made of
- Percentage yield The amount (in %) of product made in a reaction compared to what SHOULD have been made
- Periodic table A table of all of the known elements
- Permanent hard water Permanently hard water contains calcium ions or magnesium ions
- Petrol A fossil fuel
- pH scale A number that tells you how acidic or alkaline a solution is
- Phytomining A method to extract copper from a low grade source (low percentage of copper) using plants to extract the copper from the ground.
- Pipette Used to measure an accurate volume of liquid
- Plant oils Oils that can be extracted from plants
- Plastics Materials made from crude oil, usually made of polymers.
- Pollution A general name for a chemical or substance that contaminates the environment
- Poly(ethene) More commonly called polythene - a plastic made from the monomer ethene
- Polymer A substance made of a number of monomers
- Polymerisation The joining of monomers to to form polymers
- Precipitate When two solutions react together to form an insoluble salt, the insoluble salt is called a precipitate