TERMS DEFINITION

Acid A chemical substance which ionises in water to

produce hydrogen ions, H+ ions.
Acidic oxide An oxide compound that can react with alkali to
form salt and water.
Acid rain Rain that occurs when the pH of rain is between
2.4 and 5.0 due to dissolution of acidic gases.
Alkali A base that is soluble in water
Alkali metal An element in Group 1 of the Periodic Table
Alloy A mixture of metals or a metal with a non-metal
in a fixed composition that improves the
properties of a particular metal.
Amphoteric oxide An oxide compound that shows both acidic and
basic properties and is able to react with both
acid and alkali to produce salt and water.
Anion A negatively-charged particle
Atom The smallest particle of an element that can
participate in a chemical reaction.
Anode An electrode which is connected to the positive
terminal of the source of electricity in an
electrolytic cell.
Avogadro constant The number of particles in 1 mole of a substance,
which refers to the value of 6.02× 1023mol-1
Base A chemical compound that ionises in water to
produce hydroxide ions, OH- ions.
Basic oxide An oxide compound that can react with an acid to
produce salt and water.
Boiling point The temperature at which a liquid changes into a
gas at a particular temperature.
Cathode An electrode which is connected to the negative
terminal of the source of electricity in an
electrolytic cell.
Cation A positively-charged particle
Chemical equation A representation of a chemical reaction in words
or using chemical formulae.
Chemical formulae A representation of a chemical substance using
letters for atoms and subscript numbers to show
the number of each type of atoms that are
present in the substance.
Composite material An advanced material that is formed by
combining two or more different materials. The
properties of new material are more superior
compared to those of its original materials.
Compound A substance that contains two or more elements
that are chemically bonded together.
Contact process An industrial process for manufacture of
sulphuric acid, H2SO4
Covalent bond A chemical compound bond formed when two
atoms share electrons.
Diffusion The movement of particles of a substance in
between the particles of a particular substance
from a higher concentrated region to a lower
concentrated region.
Electrochemical series An arrangement of metals based on tendency of
each metal atom to donate electrons.
Electrolysis A process whereby an electrolyte is broken down
into its constituent elements when electricity is
passed through electrolyte.
Electrolyte A substance in molten state or aqueous solution
that is able to conduct electricity.
Electrolytic cell A cell that consists of a battery, an electrolyte
and two electrodes to conduct electrolysis.
Electron A negatively-charged subatomic particle that
surrounds the nucleus of an atom.
Electronegativity A measurement of the strength of an atom in its
molecule to attract electrons towards its nucleus.
Element A pure substance that cannot be broken down
into simpler substances by physical or chemical
process.
Empirical formula A chemical formula that shows the simplest
whole number ratio of atoms of each element in
a compound.
End point The point in a titration process when an acid-base
indicator changes colour to signal the end of
titration.
Freezing point The temperature at which a liquid changes into a
solid at a particular pressure.
Group A vertical column of elements in the Periodic
Table of Elements.
Haber process An industrial process for the manufacture of
ammonia, NH3
Halogen An element in Group 17 of the Periodic Table
Inert Chemically unreactive
Ion A positively-charged or negatively-charged
particle
Ionic bond A chemical bond formed through the transfer of
electrons
Ionic equation An equation that shows the ions that take part in
a chemical equation
Ionic formula A chemical formula for an ionic substance
Isotopes Atoms of the same element with same number of
proton but different number of neutrons.
Matter Anything that occupies space and has mass
Melting point The temperature at which a solid changes into a
liquid at a particular pressure.
Molecular formula A chemical formula that shows the actual number
of atoms of each element that are present in a
molecule of the compound.
Molarity The number of moles of solute that is present in
1 dm3 of solution.
Molar volume The volume occupied by one mole of any gas,
which is 22.4 dm3 at room conditions.
Molar mass The mass of one mole of substance in grams
Mole A basic S.I. unit used in measuring the amount of
substances. One mole of substance contains as
many particles as the number of atoms in 12 g of
carbon-12 or 6.02× 1023 particles.
Monomer A small molecule or sub-unit of a polymer
Molecule A group of two or more atoms which are
chemically bonded together.
Neutron An electrically neutral subatomic particle found in
the nucleus of an atom.
Noble gas An element in Group 18 of the Periodic Table.
Neutralisation A reaction in which an acid reacts with an alkali
to produce salt and water only.
Nucleon number The total number of protons and neutrons in the
nucleus of an atom
Period A horizontal row of elements in the Periodic
Table of Elements.
pH scale A scale which values from 0 to 14 which
measures the degree of acidity or alkalinity of an
aqueous solution.
Polymer A large molecule that is made-up of many
identical repeating sub-units called monomers.
These monomers are joined together by a
process called polymerization.
Precipitate An insoluble solid produced from a solution
during a chemical process.
Precipitation reaction A reaction used in the preparation of insoluble
salts.
Periodic Table of Elements An arrangement of element according to the
increasing order of proton number.
Product A new substance formed in a chemical reaction
Proton A positively-charged subatomic particle found in
the nucleus of an atom.
Proton number The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom
Reactant A starting substance in a chemical reaction
Relative atomic mass , RAM
Relative formula mass , RFM
Relative molecular mass, RMM
Recrystallisation
Salt
Semi-metal / Metalloid
Solvent
Standard solution
Strong acid
Strong alkali
Synthetic polymer
Transition element
Titration
Valence electron
Volatile liquid
Voltaic cell
Weak acid
Weak alkali
The average mass of one atom of an element
when compared with 1/12 of the mass of an
atom of carbon-12.
The average mass of one formula unit an ionic
substance when compared with 1/12 of the mass
of an atom of carbon-12.
The average mass of one molecule of a substance
when compared with 1/12 of the mass of an
atomofcarbopn-12.
A process that is used to purify a salt by a repeat
crystallisation process.
A compound formed when the hydrogen ion, H+
ion of an acid is replaced by a metal ion or
ammonium ion, NH4+ ion.
An element that possesses the intermediate in
properties between metals and non-metals.
A liquid which is used to dissolve a solute or solid
A solution in which its concentration is accurately
known
An acid which ionises completely in water to
produce higher concentration of hydrogen ions,
H+ ions.
An alkali ionises completely in water to produce
higher concentration of hydroxide ions, OH- ions.
A man-made polymer
An element in Group 3 to Group 12 of the
Periodic Table
A laboratory technique in which a standard
solution is used to determine the concentration
of an unknown solution using an indicator to
detect the end point during neutralisation.
An electron found in the outermost occupied
shell of an atom.
A liquid with low boiling point that can easily be
boil or evaporate.
A chemical cell that produces electrical energy
from chemical energy
An acid that is partially ionised in water to
produce lower concentration of hydrogen ions,
H+ ions.
An alkali that is partially ionised in water to
produce lower concentration of hydroxide ions,
OH- ions.