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73 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Particle accelerators |
Atomic research tools used to accelerate subatomic particles to high velocities. They use electrostatic and electromagnetic fields to accelerate particles in a straight line. |
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Addition polymerisation |
A method where simple monomer units join together to form a long-chain polymer by simple addition. No other product is formed. |
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Addition reaction |
A reaction where a double or triple bond breaks open so that 'new' atoms may be added to the primary compound. |
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Alkane |
A hydrocarbon that does not contain any double or triple bonds. |
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Alkanols |
Alcohols derived from saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons by replacing a hydrogen atom with a hydroxyl (-OH) group. |
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Anode |
An electrode at which oxidation occurs. |
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Atomic number |
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. |
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Battery |
A source of direct electric current made up of one or more galvanic cells. |
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Bioethanol |
Ethanol derived from plant material such as agricultural waste, straw, plant material left from logging, cellulose, or crops. |
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Biomass |
The total mass, or weight, of living material in a particular area. It includes wood, straw, bagasse (the pulp of sugar cane after the juice has been extracted), animal and other organic wastes. |
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Biopolymers |
Polymers that are made totally, or in a large part, by living organisms. Examples include cellulose, starch and proteins but also include partly synthesised polymers such as rayon, cellophane and cellulose nitrate. |
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Calorimetry |
Measurement of the heat changes associated with chemical reactions and physical processes. |
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Catalyst |
A chemical that can change the rate of a chemical reaction but is itself unchanged at the end of the reaction. |
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Catalytic cracking |
Cracking using catalysts to sustain and perpetuate the reaction. |
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Cathode |
An electrode at which reduction occurs. |
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Condensation polymerisation |
A method where simple monomer units join together to form a long-chain polymer, with the elimination of some small molecule (such as water) between pairs of monomers |
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Covalent bond |
A type of chemical bond involving the sharing of electron pairs between atoms. |
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Cracking |
A process in which heavy hydrocarbon molecules in petroleum are broken down into smaller, lighter molecules. |
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Cyclotron |
A type of charged particle accelerator in which the particles travel a spiral path in a strong magnetic field, thus repeatedly traversing the same electric field and achieving greater speeds than those attainable with linear accelerators. |
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Dehydration |
The process of removing water. |
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Disaccharide |
A carbohydrate that can be hydrolysed into two simple sugars. Examples include sucrose, maltose and lactose. |
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Dispersion forces |
Sometimes known as van der Waals forces. These are weak attractive forces between molecules. |
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Van der Waals forces |
Also called dispersion forces. |
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Displacement reaction |
An oxidation-reduction reaction in which a more reactive metal displaces a less reactive metal from a solution of its ions. |
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Double bond |
A bond formed by sharing two pairs of electrons between atoms. |
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Electrode |
A conductor, usually metal or graphite, through which an electric current can enter or leave a medium, such as a solution. |
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Electrolyte |
An aqueous solution or molten substance that contains ions that are free to move and allows charges to move between electrons. |
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Electromotive force (emf) (for galvanic cells) |
The potential difference (voltage) across the electrodes when a negligibly small current is being drawn. This is the maximum voltage the cell can produce. |
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Endothermic reaction |
A reaction for which the enthalpy change is positive, that is, there is a net absorption of heat when going from reactants to products. |
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Enzymes |
Protein molecules that act as catalysts. |
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Feedstock |
A reactant used in an industrial process that is made from raw materials. |
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Fermentation |
The decomposition of carbohydrates by micro-organisms in the absence of air. |
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Fissionable |
Describes a nucleus that can be split. |
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Fissile |
Describes a nucleus that can be split. |
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Fossil fuel |
A naturally occurring energy source formed within the Earth's crust from decomposing plant and animal matter. |
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Fraction |
A chemical compound separated from a mixture of different compounds. |
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Fractional distillation |
A process by which substances are vaporised, and then condensed by cooling, and therefore separated by boiling point. |
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Free radicals |
Atoms or molecules that contain unpaired electrons, making them more reactive than other particles. |
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Fuel cell |
An electric cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (such as hydrogen) directly into electrical energy without needing to burn the fuel. |
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Functional group |
A group of connected atoms whose presence in a molecule gives rise to characteristic chemical properties. |
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Galvanic cell |
An electrochemical cell in which the spontaneous occurrence of electrode reactions produces electrical energy, which can be converted to useful work. |
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Glucose |
C6H12O6 |
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Homologous series |
A family of similar carbon compounds containing the same functional group but with differing numbers of CH2 groups. |
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Hydrocarbon |
A carbon compound which is composed of only carbon and hydrogen atoms. |
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Isomer |
A compound that contains the same numbers and kinds of atoms as another but has a different chemical structure. |
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Isotopes |
Atoms of the same element with the same atomic number but different mass number (i.e. the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons). |
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IUPAC nomenclature |
The system for naming chemicals devised by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. |
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Mass number |
The number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. |
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Molar heat of combustion |
The amount of heat generated when one mole of a substance is completely combusted. |
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Monomer |
A small chemical unit that is linked over and over to form a large chain. |
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Monosaccharide |
A carbohydrate that cannot be hydrolysed into two or more simpler sugars. |
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Oxidant (oxidising agent) |
An electron acceptor. |
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Oxidising agent |
Also known as an oxidant. |
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Petroleum |
A naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbons, usually crude oil, but sometimes also including natural gas. |
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Polylactic acid |
A biodegradable bioplastic that has applications for biomedical devices, tissue engineering and in fibres. |
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Polymer |
A substance made of very large molecules (macromolecules) which are themselves made of repeated links of smaller units (monomers). |
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Polysaccharide |
A carbohydrate made up of a large number of monosaccharide units linked together into a long chain (e.g. starch and cellulose in plants, and glycogen in animals). |
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Qualitative test |
A test to find out about the nature of what you are testing (e.g. the presence of double bonds) without measurements or calculations (e.g. of the concentration). |
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Radioisotope |
An isotope of an element that emits radioactive particles. |
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Redox reactions |
Reduction-oxidation reactions (where electrons are lost and gained). |
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Reductant (or reducing agent) |
An electron donor. |
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Reflux |
A process where the products of a chemical reaction and remaining reactants are returned to the reaction in order to increase conversion or recovery. |
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Ruminants |
Animals such as cows that regurgitate and re-chew their food once having swallowed it. |
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Salt bridge |
A bridge, such as a filter paper soaked in an ionic salt, placed between two half-cells of a galvanic cell so that charge neutrality is preserved as the reaction proceeds. |
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Saturated hydrocarbon |
A carbon compound in which each carbon atom is surrounded by exactly four single bonds. |
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Standard electrode potential |
The potential, measured in volts, of an electrode in its standard state relative to the standard hydrogen electrode. |
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Thermal cracking |
Cracking using high temperatures and sometimes pressure. |
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Thermoplastic |
Soft and capable of being moulded when heated. |
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Transuranic element |
An element that has an atomic number >92. (All are artificially made in nuclear reactors, and are radioactive.) |
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Unsaturated hydrocarbon |
A carbon compound which contains at least one double or triple bond. |
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Yeast |
A single celled fungus. |
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Zein |
A protein found in corn which can be used for many applications e.g. coating paper cups, lining soft drink bottle caps, clothing fabric, adhesives. |
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Zeolites |
Complex aluminosilicates consisting of large lattices of aluminium, silicon and oxygen atoms. |