Molecules - Key terms



AVOGADRO'S NUMBER:

A figure, named after Italian physicist Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856), equal to 6.022137 × 10 23 . Avogadro's number indicates the number of molecules in a mole.

BOND ENERGY:

The energy required to pull apart the atoms in a chemical bond.

CHEMICAL BONDING:

The joining, through electromagnetic force, of atoms representing different elements.

COMPOUND:

A substance made up of atoms of more than one element. These atoms are usually joined in molecules.

COVALENT BONDING:

A type of chemical bonding in which two atoms share valence electrons.

DIATOMIC:

A term describing an element that exists as molecules composed of two atoms.

DIPOLE-DIPOLE ATTRACTION:

A form of intermolecular bonding between molecules formed by a polar covalentbond.

ELECTRON:

A negatively charged particle in an atom.

ELECTRONEGATIVITY:

The relative ability of an atom to attract valence electrons.

EMPIRICAL FORMULA:

A chemical formula that shows the smallest possible whole-number ratio of the atoms involved. Compare with molecular formula and structural formula.

HYDROGEN BONDING:

A kind of dipole-dipole attraction between molecules formed of hydrogen along with an element having a high electronegativity.

INTERMOLECULAR BONDING:

The bonding that exists between molecules. This is not to be confused with chemical bonding, the bonding of atoms within a molecule.

ION:

An atom or group of atoms that has lost or gained one or more electrons, and thus has a net electric charge.

IONIC BONDING:

A form of chemical bonding resulting from attractions between ions with opposite electric charges.

ISOMERS:

Substances having the same chemical formula, but which are chemically dissimilar due to differences in the arrangement of atoms.

LONDON DISPERSION FORCES:

A term describing the weak intermolecular bond between molecules that are not formed by a polar covalent bond.

MOLE:

The SI fundamental unit for "amount of substance." A mole is, generally speaking, Avogadro's number of molecules; however, in the more precise SI definition, a mole is equal to the number of carbon atoms in 12.01 g of carbon.

MOLECULAR FORMULA:

A chemical formula that indicates the types and numbers of atoms involved, showing the actual proportions of atoms in a molecule. Compare with empirical formula and structural formula.

MOLECULAR SOLID:

A form of crystalline solid—a solid in which the constituent parts have a simple and definite geometric arrangement repeated in all directions—in which the molecules have a neutral electric charge. Table sugar (sucrose) is an example.

MOLECULE:

A group of atoms, usually but not always representing more than one element, joined in a structure. Compounds are typically made up of molecules.

OCTET RULE:

A term describing the distribution of valence electrons that takes place in chemical bonding for most elements, which end up with eight valence electrons.

POLAR COVALENT BONDING:

The type of chemical bonding between atoms that have differing values of electronegativity. Water molecules are an example of a polar covalent bond.

SHELL:

The orbital pattern of the valence electrons at the outside of an atom.

STEREOCHEMISTRY:

The area of chemistry devoted to the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in a molecule.

STRUCTURAL FORMULA:

A diagram that shows how the atoms are bondedtogether, complete with lines representing covalent bonds. Compare with empirical formula and molecular formula.

VALENCE ELECTRONS:

Electrons that occupy the highest energy levels in anatom. These are the only electrons involved in chemical bonding.

VALENCY:

The property of the atom of one element that determines its ability to bond with atoms of other elements.

VSEPR (VALENCE SHELL ELECTRON PAIR REPULSION) MODEL:

A means of representing the three-dimensional structure of atoms in a molecule.

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