Diameters between 1 x 10-5 m and 2.5 x 10-6 m, often referred to as dust
Conductor
A material which contains charged particles which are free to move to carry electrical or thermal energy
Covalent bond
A shared pair of electrons between two non-metals
Diamond
A giant covalent structure which is made up of carbon atoms each of which form four covalent bonds with four other carbon atoms
Electrostatic forces
The strong forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions
Empirical formula
The smallest whole number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound
Fine particles (PM2.5)
Diameters between 100 and 2500 nm (1 x 10-7 m and 2.5 x 10-6 m)
Fullerenes
Molecules of carbon atoms with hollow shapes, based on hexagonal rings of carbon atoms but may also contain rings with five or seven carbon atoms
Gas
The state of matter where the particles have the most energy, are relatively spread out and move randomly in all directions
Graphene
A single layer of graphite with properties that make it useful in electronics and composites
Graphite
A giant covalent structure which is made up of carbon atoms each of which form three covalent bonds with three other carbon atoms, forming layers of hexagonal rings which have no covalent bonds between the layers
Ion
An atom or molecule with an electric charge due to the loss or gain of electrons
Ionic bond
A metal atom loses electron(s) to form a positively charged ion and a non-metal gains these electron(s) to form a negatively charged ion, forming an ionic bond between the oppositely charged ions
Ionic compound
Chemical compound formed of ions, held together by strong electrostatic forces
Intermolecular forces
The forces which exist between molecules, the strength of which impact physical properties like boiling/melting point
Lattice
A repeating regular arrangement of atoms/ions/molecules, occurring in crystal structures
Liquid
The state of matter where the particles are arranged randomly and close together and are able to move past each other
Metallic bond
The bonds present in metals between the positive metal ions and negatively charged electrons
Metals
Elements that react to form positive ions, found to the left and towards the bottom of the periodic table
Molecular formula
The actual ratio of atoms of each element present in a compound
Nanoparticles
Particles with diameters between 1 nm to 100 nm in size, which can exhibit properties different to those for the same material in bulk
Nanoscience
The study of structures that are 1–100 nm in size, of the order of a few hundred atoms
Non-metals
Elements that react to form negative ions, found towards the right and top of the periodic table
Particle theory
The theory which models the three states of matter by representing the particles as small solid spheres, helping to explain melting, boiling, freezing and condensing
Polymers
Large long-chain molecules made up of lots of small monomers joined together by covalent bonds
Repeat unit
The part of a polymer whose repetition would produce the complete polymer chain
Solid
The state of matter where the particles hold a regular arrangement and have the least amount of energy
State symbols
The symbols used in chemical equations to denote the states of the chemicals reacting: (s) - solid, (l) - liquid, (g) - gas, (aq) - aqueous solution