Chemistry key terms

The taking in of radiation by matter, transferring energy to that matter.

The closeness of a measured result to the true value.

A particle that donates a proton in a proton-transfer reaction.

A dye that changes colour over a particular pH range and is used to show when the titration has reached its end point.

Describes a solution with a pH below 7.

A solution in which an acid produces hydrogen ions, $H^+(aq)$; it has a pH below 7.

The extent to which an aqueous solution is acidic, represented by its pH.

Rain made more acidic when pollutant gases, including sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, form acids in atmospheric water.

A temporary, unstable arrangement of atoms formed as reactants change into products.

The minimum energy that reacting particles must have when they collide for a reaction to occur.

An electrode made from a material that takes part in an electrode reaction.

The part of an enzyme where its substrate binds.

The measured amount of product actually obtained and collected in practice.

A polymer formed when many unsaturated monomers join without producing another substance.

A reaction in which many unsaturated monomers join to form a polymer without producing another molecule.

A reaction in which atoms from another molecule join across a carbon–carbon double bond, forming a single carbon–carbon bond and one product.

Adding air to water, usually to supply oxygen to microorganisms during biological treatment.

Treatment in which microorganisms break down organic matter in the presence of oxygen.

Respiration that uses oxygen to release energy from glucose.

An organic compound containing an –OH functional group attached to a carbon atom.

Photosynthetic organisms that commonly live in water; algae began producing oxygen long before plants evolved.

A precisely measured portion of a solution, commonly transferred using a volumetric pipette.

A base that is soluble in water, such as sodium hydroxide.

A metal in Group 1 of the periodic table, such as lithium, sodium or potassium.

The reactive metals in the first column of the periodic table, whose atoms each have one electron in their outer shell.

Describes a solution with a pH above 7.

A solution containing hydroxide ions, $OH^-(aq)$; it has a pH above 7.

The extent to which an aqueous solution is alkaline, represented by its pH.

A hydrocarbon in the family with general formula $C_nH_{2n+2}$; its carbon atoms are joined by single bonds.

A hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond.