CHEMISTRY CHEATSHEET
Basic Concepts
- Atom: the basic unit of matter, consisting of a nucleus (protons and neutrons) surrounded by electrons.
- Molecule: a group of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.
- Element: a substance composed of only one type of atom.
- Compound: a substance composed of two or more elements chemically combined in a fixed ratio.
- Ion: an atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.
Chemical Bonds
- Ionic Bond: a bond formed by the transfer of electrons between atoms.
- Covalent Bond: a bond formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms.
- Hydrogen Bond: a weak bond between two molecules resulting from an electrostatic attraction between a proton in one molecule and an electronegative atom in the other.
Chemical Reactions
- Reactant: a substance that takes part in and undergoes change in a chemical reaction.
- Product: a substance produced as a result of a chemical reaction.
- Chemical Equation: a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction showing the reactants and products.
- Stoichiometry: the calculation of the quantities of reactants and products involved in a chemical reaction.
States of Matter
- Solid: a state of matter characterized by a fixed shape and volume.
- Liquid: a state of matter characterized by a fixed volume but not a fixed shape.
- Gas: a state of matter characterized by neither a fixed shape nor a fixed volume.
- Plasma: a high-temperature physical state of matter in which atoms lose most of their electrons.
Acids and Bases
- Acid: a substance that donates hydrogen ions (H+) to a solution.
- Base: a substance that accepts hydrogen ions (H+) or donates hydroxide ions (OH-) to a solution.
- pH: a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution.
Resources