C2.6 In Your Element Flashcards
chemical symbol
An abbreviation for an element which onsists of one, two or sometimes three letters.
electron
A negatively charged particle that surrounds the nucleus in an atom.
ductile
Can be stretched into wires.
giant ionic structure
A repeated regular arrangement of oppositely charged ions.
properties
The characteristics of a substance. Chemical properties describe how the substance reacts with other substances. Physical properties include information such as colour, melting point and state.
state symbols
Symbols used in chemical equations to show whether a substance is solid (s), liquid (l), gas (g) or dissolved in water, aqueous (aq).
proton
A positively charged particle found in the nucleus of all atoms.
halogen
A family of reactive non-metals found in Group 7 of the Periodic Table.
cathode
A negative electrode.
bond
An attractive force that holds atoms together in molecules and ions together in crystals.
neutron
Electrically neutral particle found in the nucleus of most atoms.
group
A column of the Periodic Table.
half equation
Equation to show the reaction at an electrode.
isotopes
Atoms of an element with the same number of protons and electrons but different numbers of neutrons.
ionic compound
A substance made of oppositely charged ions.
electrode
A rod of conductive material used in electrolysis, for example, graphite or platinum.
particle
A tiny piece of matter, such as an atom or molecule.
atom
A particle that is the smallest part of an element that can exist. An atom consists of protons and neutrons in a nucleus surrounded by electrons.
ion
An atom or group of atoms with an electrical charge. Ions can either be positively or negatively charged due to losing or gaining electrons.
alkali metal
An element found in Group 1.
chemical reaction
A chemical change in which new substances are formed but there is no change in the number of atoms of each element.
electron configuration
The arrangement of electrons in shells around the nucleus.
raw material
A starting substance for the manufacture of a particular chemical.
binary salt
A compound of a metal and a non-metal.
period
A row of the Periodic Table.
relative atomic mass
The mass of an atom compared to the mass of a carbon atom, which has a relative atomic mass of 12.
element
A substance made of only one type of atom. An element cannot be turned into another element or anything simpler using a chemical reaction.
conductivity
A property of a substance that describes its ability to allow energy (electricity or heat) to pass through it.
alkaline
A substance that turns universal indicator paper blue and has a pH greater than 7.
malleable
Can be bent or hammered into shape without breaking.
mass number
The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. Also called nucleon number.
reactive
Likely to react with other substances.
shell
Space around a nucleus that can be occupied by electrons, usually drawn as a circle.
electron shell diagram
A picture that shows the arrangement of electrons in shells around the nucleus.
atomic number
The number of protons (positively charged particles) in the nucleus of an atom.
decompose
To break down a compound into simpler substances.
lattice
The arrangement of ions in a regular pattern giving crystals their regular shape.
nucleus
The positively charged centre of an atom.
ionic bond
Force between oppositely charged ions.
alloy
A mixture of metals or metals and non-metals.
anode
A positive electrode.
electrolysis
The breakdown of an ionic compound into simpler substances using electricity.
compound ion
An electrically charged group of two or more different atoms. For example, the sulphate ion SO consists of one sulphur atom and four oxygen atoms, with two negative charges overall.
solution
The mixture formed when a substance dissolves in water.
Periodic Table
A chart in which all the elements are put in order of increasing atomic number, with elements that have similar chemical properties arranged in groups.
noble gas
An element found in Group 0.
