Earth Science Chapter 3 Vocabulary

Front 1

Atom

Back 1

The smallest particle of an element that retains all the properties of that element

Front 2

Matter

Back 2

Anything that has volume and mass

Front 3

Element

Back 3

A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by physical or chemical means

Front 4

Nucleus

Back 4

Center of an atom

Front 5

Proton

Back 5

Tiny particle that has mass and a positive electric charge

Front 6

Neutron

Back 6

A particle with approximately the same mass as a proton but is electrically neutral

Front 7

Electron

Back 7

Tiny particle that has little mass with a negative electric charge

Front 8

Chemical Symbol

Back 8

A one, two or three letter abbreviation used to identify an element

Front 9

Periodic Table of Elements

Back 9

Chart showing the arrangement of the elements according to their chemical properties

Front 10

Atomic Number

Back 10

Identifies the element and the number of protons in an atoms nucleus

Front 11

Mass Number

Back 11

The sum of the protons and neutrons

Front 12

Isotopes

Back 12

Atoms of the same element that have different mass numbers

Front 13

Radioactive Decay

Back 13

The spontaneous process through which unstable nuclei emit radiation

Front 14

Energy Levels

Back 14

The area that an electron occupies around the nucleus in the electron cloud

Front 15

Valence Electrons

Back 15

Electrons that occupy the outermost energy level; determines the chemical behavior of the atom

Front 16

Ion

Back 16

An atom that has gained or lost an electron and has a net electrical charge

Front 17

Compound

Back 17

A substance that is composed of atoms of two or more different elements that are chemically combined

Front 18

Chemical Formulas

Back 18

The use of atomic symbols with subscripts to show how many atoms of that element are needed and this represents the compound

Front 19

Chemical Bond

Back 19

The force that holds together the elements in a compound

Front 20

Covalent Bond

Back 20

Attraction of two atoms for a shared pair of electrons which holds the atoms together

Front 21

Molecule

Back 21

Composed of two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds

Front 22

Polar Molecules

Back 22

Atoms of a covalent bond that do not share the electrons equally giving the atoms each a slight electrical charge

Front 23

Ionic Bond

Back 23

The attractive force between two ions of opposite charge

Front 24

Metallic Bond

Back 24

Positive ions of metal held together by the negative electrons between them; allows metals to conduct electricity

Front 25

Chemical Reaction

Back 25

The change of one or more substances into other substances

Front 26

Mixture

Back 26

A combination of two or more components that retain their identities

Front 27

Heterogeneous Mixture

Back 27

A mixture who's components are easily recognizable

Front 28

Homogeneous Mixture

Back 28

A mixture who's component particles cannot be distinguished, even though they still retain their original properties

Front 29

Solutions

Back 29

Another name for a homogeneous mixture

Front 30

Acid

Back 30

A solution containing a substance that produces hydrogen ions in water

Front 31

Base

Back 31

A solution containing a substance that produces hydroxide ions in water

Front 32

pH Scale

Back 32

Based on the amount of hydrogen ions in a solution; ranges from 0 to 14

Front 33

Solids

Back 33

Substances with densely packed particles, a definite shape and volume

Front 34

Crystalline Structure

Back 34

Solids with particles arranged in a regular geometric patterns

Front 35

Glass

Back 35

A solid that consists of densely packed atoms arranged randomly

Front 36

Liquids

Back 36

A substance that has enough vibrations that their particles can slide past one another

Front 37

Gases

Back 37

A substance that has particles that travel at high speeds until they bump into another particle or the walls of a contaniner

Front 38

Evaporation

Back 38

Process of changing from a liquid to a gas at temperatures below the boiling point

Front 39

Plasma

Back 39

Hot, highly ionized, electrically conducting gases

Front 40

Condensation

Back 40

When a gas is cooled to the boiling point and becomes a liquid

Front 41

Sublimation

Back 41

The change of a solid immediately into a gas

Front 42

Conservation of Energy

Back 42

States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but must be changed from one form to another