Chemistry: Bonding, Structure and Properties of Matter: Key Terms

• Matter


  describes the material that everything is made up of
• Particle


  a small piece of matter
• Melting point


  the specific temperature at which a pure substance changes state, from solid to liquid and from liquid to solid
• Boiling point


  the specific temperature at which a pure substance changes state from liquid to gas and from gas to liquid
• Aqueous


  dissolved in water
• Ionic bond


  the force of attraction between positive and negative ions
• Ion

  atoms that have gained or lost electrons and now have an overall charge
• Electrostatic


  a force of attraction between oppositely charged species
• Molten

  liquefied by heat
• Delocalised


  not bound to one atom
• Electrostatic


  a force of attraction between oppositely charged species
• Metallic bond


  the strong attraction between metal ions and delocalised electrons
• Pure


  a substance that contains only one type of element or compound
• Ductile


  can be drawn into a wire
• Malleable


  can be hammered into shape
• Alloy

  a mixture that contains at least one metal, e.g. steel
• Brittle


  breaks easily when hit
• Corrosion


  when a metal reacts with oxygen and water, e.g. the rusting of iron
• Covalent bond


  a shared pair of electrons between atoms in a molecule
• Intermolecular


  between molecules
• Diamond

  a form of carbon, with a giant covalent structure, that is very hard
• Graphite

  a form of carbon, with a giant covalent structure, that conducts electricity
• Delocalised


  not bound to one atom
• Silicon dioxide (silica)


  (SiO2 ) a compound found in sand
• Graphene


  a form of carbon; a single layer of graphite, just one atom thick
• Transparent


  see-through
• Fullerene


  a form of carbon in which the carbon atoms are joined together to form hollow structures, e.g. tubes, balls and cages
• Nanoparticles


  very small particles, which are 1-100nm in size (just a few hundred atoms)