chap 16 key terms Flashcards
absorbance
Absorbance- A measure of the capacity of a substance to absorb light of a specified wavelength.
anhydrous
containing no water
bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation- The build-up of heavy metals or other toxins in higher-order predators in a food chain.
calibration curve
Calibration curve- A plot of data involving two variables that is used to determine the values for one of the variables.
colorimeter
Colorimeter- An instrument that measures the absorbance of a selected colour of light by a sample solution.
complementary colours
Complementary colours- Pair of colours that are often describes as ‘opposites’. When combined with each other, these colours ‘cancel’ each other out to form a greyscale colour such as white or black.
electrical conductivity
Electrical conductivity (EC)- The degree to which a specified material or solution conducts electricity.
electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation- A form of energy that moves through space. Visible light, radio waves and X-rays are forms of electromagnetic radiation.
electromagnetic spectrum
Electromagnetic spectrum- All possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation shown in order of their wavelengths or frequencies.
eutophication
Eutrophication- A process by which pollution from sources such as chemical fertiliser or sewage cause the over-enrichment of water by nutrients. This causes the overgrowth and decay of plants, deo-oxygenation of water and the death of organisms.
gravimetric analysis
Gravimetric analysis- A technique used for the quantitative determination of the amount of solute in a solution based on the mass of a solid.
hard water
Hard water- Water that requires a lot of soap to obtain a lather or froth.
hardness
Hardness- Water hardness is a measure of the amount of metal ions (mainly calcium and magnesium) in the water; the more minerals in the water, the harder the water. This ‘hardness’ means it is hard to get soapsuds from soap or detergents in this particular water. This happens because the metal ions react strongly with the negatively charged ions in soap molecules to form insoluble compounds. This effectively removes soap from the solution, so more soap is needed to achieve a lather.
heavy metals
Heavy metals- A metal with high density; usually used to describe a metal that poses a threat to health.
hydrated
Hydrated- An ion surrounded by water molecules. Hydrated ions can be found in aqueous solutions or crystalline solids.
mass-mass stoichiometry
Mass-mass stoichiometry- Calculates the mass of an unknown reactant or product using the mass of the known reactant or product, as well as the stoichiometry of that reaction.
metal complex
Metal complex- A central metal atom surrounded by molecules or ions.
mineral
Mineral- A naturally occurring inorganic substance that is solid and can be represented by a chemical formula, e.g. quartz.
monochromator
Monochromator- An instrument that transmits a narrow band of wavelengths of light or other radiation. The name is from the Greek words mono (single) and chroma (colour).
organometallic compounds
Organometallic compounds- A substance that contains at least one carbon-metal bond.
precipitate
Precipitate- The solid formed during a reaction in which two or more solutions are mixed.
precipitation reaction
Precipitation reaction- A reaction between substances in solution in which one of the products in insoluble.
salinity
Salinity- The presence of salt in water and soil that can damage plants or inhibit their growth.
soil matrix
Soil matrix- The term used to describe all the components of soil, including sand, silt, clay, salts, organic matter and living organisms.
soil texture
Soil texture- The classification of soil based on the percentage of sand, silt and clay particles.
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy- The study of the way that radiation, such as light and radio waves, interacts with matter.
standard solution
Standard solution- A solution that has an accurately known concentration.
total dissolved solids (TDS)
Total dissolved solids (TDS)- The total amount of mobile charged ions, including minerals, salts or metal ions dissolved in a given quantity of water.
UV- visible spectrophometer
UV- visible spectrophotometer- An analytical device that measures the absorbance of a solution in the UV- visible region of the spectrum.
water of hydration
Water of hydration- Water molecules that form an essential part of a crystal arrangement, but that are not directly bonded to the cations and anions in the crystal structure.
