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General Biology: Atomic Structure and Chemical Bonding

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Terms in this set (20)

  • What determines the properties of a compound such as formic acid?
    A compound is made of atoms joined by bonds. The number of protons determines an atom's identity, and the electron distribution determines its ability to form bonds. A compound's properties depend on its atoms and how they are bonded.
  • What is an element?
    An element is a substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by chemical reactions.
  • What is a compound?
    A compound is a substance consisting of two or more elements in a fixed ratio, with properties different from those of its elements.
  • What are the main elements that make up living matter?
    Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen make up 96% of living matter; the remaining 4% includes calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur.
  • What subatomic particles form the atomic nucleus?
    Neutrons and protons form the atomic nucleus, while electrons form a cloud of negative charge around it.
  • What is an atom's atomic number?
    The atomic number is the number of protons in an atom's nucleus.
  • What is an isotope?
    Isotopes are atoms of the same element that differ in the number of neutrons.
  • What is radiometric dating based on?
    Radiometric dating measures the ratio of parent to daughter isotopes and uses the isotope's half-life to estimate the age of fossils or rocks.
  • What is potential energy in atoms?
    Potential energy is the energy matter possesses due to its location or structure; electrons have potential energy based on their distance from the nucleus.
  • What are valence electrons?
    Valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost shell of an atom and determine its chemical behavior.
  • What is an orbital?
    An orbital is a three-dimensional space where an electron is found 90% of the time; each shell contains a specific number of orbitals.
  • What is a covalent bond?
    A covalent bond is a chemical bond where two atoms share one or more pairs of valence electrons.
  • What is the difference between nonpolar and polar covalent bonds?
    In nonpolar covalent bonds, electrons are shared equally; in polar covalent bonds, electrons are shared unequally due to differences in electronegativity.
  • What is an ionic bond?
    An ionic bond is the attraction between oppositely charged ions formed when atoms transfer electrons.
  • What are salts in chemistry?
    Salts are ionic compounds formed by ionic bonds, often found as crystals, such as sodium chloride (table salt).
  • What is a hydrogen bond?
    A hydrogen bond forms when a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to one electronegative atom is attracted to another electronegative atom.
  • What are Van der Waals interactions?
    Van der Waals interactions are weak attractions between molecules caused by uneven electron distribution creating temporary charges.
  • What happens in a chemical reaction?
    Chemical reactions involve making and breaking chemical bonds, converting reactants into products.
  • What is chemical equilibrium?
    Chemical equilibrium is reached when the forward and reverse reactions occur at the same rate, keeping reactant and product concentrations constant.
  • What determines an atom's chemical behavior?
    Electrons, especially valence electrons, form a negative cloud around the nucleus and determine an atom's chemical behavior.