General (Inorganic) Chemistry Glossary – Flashcards
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Acid (Arrhenius)
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A substance that yields hydrogen or hydronium ions in a water (aqueous) solution
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Acid (Bronsted-Lowry)
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a substance that donates a proton
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Acid (Lewis)
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a substance that accepts a pair of electrons
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Allotropism
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The existence of an element in two or more distinct forms
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Anion
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a negatively charged atom or group of atoms
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Aqueous solution
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a solution in which water is a solvent
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Atom
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smallest particle of an element that has all the properties of the element
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Base (Arrhenius)
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A substance that yields hydroxide ions in aqueous solution
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Base (Bronsted-Lowry)
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a substance that accepts a proton
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Base (Lewis)
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a substance that donates a pair of electrons
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Biochemistry
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that branch of chemistry dealing with compounds produced by living organisms
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Boiling
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the rapid passage of liquid particles to the vapor state of forming bubbles
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Buffers
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substances that in solution are capable of neutralizing, within limits, both acids and bases and thereby maintaining the original, or a constant pH, of the solution
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Calorie (small c)
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the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water 1ºC at 15ºC
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Cation
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a positively charges atom or group of atoms
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Catalyst
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a substance that changes their rate of a chemical reaction by undergoes no net change itself during the reaction
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Celsius temperature
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the temperature scale defined sop that the freezing point of water is 0ºC and its boiling point is 100ºC at 1 atmosphere of pressure
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Chemical change
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one in which a new substance or substances are produced that have entirely different properties from the original substance because the chemical composition has changed
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Chemical properties
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a characteristic that can be observed when a substance is interacting with other substances resulting in a change in chemical composition
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Chemistry
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the branch of natural science that is concerned with the description and classification of matter with the changes that matter undergoes, and with the energy associated with each of these changes
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Colloid
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a solution like system in which the solute particle is between 1 and 100 nanometers; particles of solute pass through filters but not membranes
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Combustion
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the rapid oxidation or burning that produces heat and light
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Compound
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a substance consisting of tow or more atoms combined chemically in definite proportions by mass
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Concentrated solution
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a solution containing a relatively large amount of solute
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Concentration
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the ratio of the mass or volume of a solute to the mass or volume of the solution or solvent
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Condensation
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a change of state of matter from a gas to a liquid
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Covalent bond
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a chemical bond in which a pair of electrons is shared by tow atoms
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Crystallization
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the process by which a substance is given definite form
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Dehydration (desiccation)
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the removal of water from a substance
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Density
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the ratio of the mass of a substance to its volume
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Diffusion
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the movement of molecules or other particles in solution from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration until uniform concentration is reached
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Dilute solution
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a solution containing relatively small amount of solute
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Dye
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natural or synthetic matter that is used to impart color to another material
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Electron
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a subatomic particle with a negative electrical charge and a mass that is 1/1,857 that of a proton; electrons are found outside the nucleus of an atom
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Element
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a simple substance which cannot be decomposed by ordinary chemical means
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Embalming chemistry
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the study of chemical post-mortem changes, the composition of embalming fluids, and the interactions between each
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Emulsification
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the act of mixing two insoluble liquids
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Emulsion
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a mixture of two insoluble liquids, one being dispersed throughout the other in small droplets
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Endothermic reaction
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a chemical reaction that absorbs or requires heat form its surroundings
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Energy
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the ability of a system or material to do work
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Enzyme
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a protein that acts as a biological catalyst
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Equation,- chemical
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a combination of chemical symbols and formulas used as a shorthand way to represent the reactants and products in a chemical change
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Exothermic reaction
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a chemical reaction that releases or gives off heat
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Formula
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a combination of symbols used to express the chemical composition of a substance
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Freezing
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a change of state of matter from a liquid to a solid
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Gas
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a state of matter in which the atoms or molecules move about in almost complete freedom from one another; gases have no definite shape or volume and assume the shape and volume of their container
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Hardness of water
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the condition of water which results from dissolved minerals and metallic ions such as calcium and magnesium
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Homogeneous
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a sample of matter with uniform composition
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Hydrate
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a compound in which there is a chemical union between water and certain substances when they crystallize
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Hydrolysis
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a chemical reaction in which a substance is broken down or dissociated by water; a reaction between salt ad water to yield an acid and a base of unequal strengths
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Hypertonic solution
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a solution having a greater concentration of dissolved solute than the solution to which it is compared
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Hypotonic solution
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a solution having a lesser concentration of dissolved solute than the solution to which it is compared
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Imbibition
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the swelling and softening of tissues and organs as a result of absorbing moisture from adjacent sources
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Inorganic chemistry
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that branch of chemistry that studies the properties and reactions of elements, excluding organic or certain carbon-containing compounds
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Ion
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an atomic or molecular species with a positive (cation) or negative (anion) electrical charge
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Ionization
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the dissociation of a substance in solution into ions
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Isomerism
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the possession by two or more distinct compounds of the same molecular formula, each molecule having the same number of atoms of each element, but in different arrangement
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Isotonic solution
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a solution having an equal concentration of dissolved solute as the solution to which it is compared
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Kilogram
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1000 grams; the basic unit of mass in the metric system
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Kinetic energy
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energy of a body by virtue of its motion
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Law of conversation of energy
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in any chemical or physical change, energy is neither created nor destroyed but merely transformed from one to another
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Law of conversation of mass
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in any chemical or physical change, mass is neither created or destroyed but merely changed in form
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Liquefaction
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conversion of a solid or gas into a liquid form as a result of a physical or chemical change
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Liquid
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a substance that flows readily but does not tend to expand indefinitely
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Liter
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the standard unit of volume in the metric system
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Mass
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the quantity of matter present in an object
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Matter
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anything that occupies space and has mass
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Melting
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the change of state from a solid to a liquid
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Metal
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an element marked by luster, malleability, ductility and conductivity of electricity and heat; metallic elements tend to form positive ions
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Meter
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the standard metric unit for length
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Molecule
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the smallest unit of a compound which can exist alone; an aggregation of atoms, specifically a chemical of two or more atoms which form a specific chemical substances
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Monatomic ion
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a charged entity consisting of only a single atom
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Neutralization
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the reaction of an acid and a base to produce a salt and water
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Neutron
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a neutral subatomic particle with a mass similar to that of a proton; it is normally found in the nucleus of an atom
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Nonmetal
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any element which is not a metal; nonmetals tend to form negative ions
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Nucleus
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a very dense, small, positively charged center of an atom that contains most of the mass of the atom in the form of protons and neutrons
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Organic Chemistry
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that branch of chemistry that deals with certain carbon containing compounds
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Osmosis
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the passage of pure solvent from a solution of lesser solute concentration to one of greater solute concentration when the two solutions are separated by a semi permeable membrane which selectively prevents the passage of solute molecules but is permeable to the solvent
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Oxidation
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the combination of a substance with oxygen; an increase in oxidation number; a loss of electrons
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Oxidation number
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a number used to represent the number of electrons lost, gained or shared in a chemical change
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Oxide
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a compound consisting of oxygen combined with only one other element
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Parts per million (ppm)
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a method for expressing low concentrations; 1 ppm is equivalent to 1 milligram per liter
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Periodic table
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the tabular arrangement of the elements in order of increasing atomic number so that the columns of elements represent the periodic recurrence of elements with similar properties
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Permanent hardness of water
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water hardness that cannot be removed by boiling; the addition of chemicals must be used; permanent hardness is caused by the chloride and sulfate salts of calcium and magnesium
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pH
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the measure of hydrogen ion concentration of a solution; potential of hydrogen
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Physical change
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a change in the form or state of matter without any change in chemical composition
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Physical properties
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properties of a substance that are observed without a change in chemical composition, which include color, odor, taste, solubility, density, hardness, melting point and boiling point
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Polyatomic ion
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a group of atoms that act as a unit and possess a charge
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Polymer
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a large molecule made by linking together a number of monomers, or basic chemical units
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Polymerization
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the linking together of monomers or basic chemical units to form a polymer
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Potential energy
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energy that is stored
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Precipitate
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a deposit of an insoluble or very slightly soluble solid substance in solution
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Pressure
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the force per unit of area exerted on a material
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Properties
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characteristics by which substances may be identified
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Proton
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a subatomic particle normally found in the nucleus of an atom; it has a relative mass of 1 and an electrical charge of +1
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Reduction
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a decrease in oxidation number; a gain of electrons; the combination of a substance with hydrogen
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Salt
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any group of substances that result from the reaction between acids and bases other than water
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Saturated solution
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a solution containing all of the solute that solvent is able to hold at a certain temperature and pressure
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Solid
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the condensed state of matter having a definite shape and volume
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Solidification
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the conversion of a liquid or a gas into a solid form
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Solubility
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the measure of how well two substances mix
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Solute
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a substance dissolved in a solvent to form a solution; the component of a solution present in lesser amount
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Solution
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a homogeneous mixture of one or more substances (solutes) dissolved in a sufficient quantity of solvent
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Solvation
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the process of dissolving
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Solvent
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a substance that does the dissolving in a solution; the component of a solution present in a greater amount
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Specific gravity
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a ratio of densities with water as the standard
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State of matter
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a physical property of matter (solid, liquid or gas); condition or phase in the physical composition of a substance at a given temperature and pressure
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Sublimation
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a physical change of state during which a substance changes directly from a solid to a gas
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Substrate
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the material upon which an enzyme works
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Surface tension
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the force that acts ion the surface of a liquid and tends to minimize surface area
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Suspension
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a mixture of a solute and a solvent in which the size of the solute particles is greater than 100 nanometers; particles of solute do not pass through filters or membranes
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Symbol
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abbreviation for an element
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Temperature scale
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means by which heat and cold are expressed; means to measure how hot or cold a substance is
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Temporary hardness of water
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temporary hardness can be removed by boiling and is due to the presence of the bicarbonate salts of calcium and magnesium
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Thanatochemistry
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the study of those physical and chemical changes in the human body that are caused by the process of death
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True solution
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a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances able to pass through a semi-permeable membrane; the size of the solute particles is less than one nanometer
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Unsaturated solution
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a solution containing less of the solute than can be held in solution by the solvent
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Vapor
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a gas, especially the gaseous form of a substance that at ordinary temperature is a liquid or solid
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Vaporization
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the physical change from a liquid to a gas
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Vehicles
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liquids that serve as solvents for the numerous ingredients incorporated into embalming fluids
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Viscosity
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the resistance that a liquid exhibits to the flow of one layer over another arising from the molecular attraction between the molecules of a liquid
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Volatile
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having the quality of being easily converted at a relatively low temperature from the liquid to the gaseous state
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Weight
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the measure of the gravitational pull on an object
