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Chemistry

Key Terms

ChemistryKey Terms

adhesive force
force of attraction between molecules of different chemical identities
amorphous solid
(also, noncrystalline solid) solid in which the particles lack an ordered internal structure
body-centered cubic (BCC) solid
crystalline structure that has a cubic unit cell with lattice points at the corners and in the center of the cell
body-centered cubic unit cell
simplest repeating unit of a body-centered cubic crystal; it is a cube containing lattice points at each corner and in the center of the cube
boiling point
temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure of the gas above it
Bragg equation
equation that relates the angles at which X-rays are diffracted by the atoms within a crystal
capillary action
flow of liquid within a porous material due to the attraction of the liquid molecules to the surface of the material and to other liquid molecules
Clausius-Clapeyron equation
mathematical relationship between the temperature, vapor pressure, and enthalpy of vaporization for a substance
cohesive force
force of attraction between identical molecules
condensation
change from a gaseous to a liquid state
coordination number
number of atoms closest to any given atom in a crystal or to the central metal atom in a complex
covalent network solid
solid whose particles are held together by covalent bonds
critical point
temperature and pressure above which a gas cannot be condensed into a liquid
crystalline solid
solid in which the particles are arranged in a definite repeating pattern
cubic closest packing (CCP)
crystalline structure in which planes of closely packed atoms or ions are stacked as a series of three alternating layers of different relative orientations (ABC)
deposition
change from a gaseous state directly to a solid state
diffraction
redirection of electromagnetic radiation that occurs when it encounters a physical barrier of appropriate dimensions
dipole-dipole attraction
intermolecular attraction between two permanent dipoles
dispersion force
(also, London dispersion force) attraction between two rapidly fluctuating, temporary dipoles; significant only when particles are very close together
dynamic equilibrium
state of a system in which reciprocal processes are occurring at equal rates
face-centered cubic (FCC) solid
crystalline structure consisting of a cubic unit cell with lattice points on the corners and in the center of each face
face-centered cubic unit cell
simplest repeating unit of a face-centered cubic crystal; it is a cube containing lattice points at each corner and in the center of each face
freezing
change from a liquid state to a solid state
freezing point
temperature at which the solid and liquid phases of a substance are in equilibrium; see also melting point
hexagonal closest packing (HCP)
crystalline structure in which close packed layers of atoms or ions are stacked as a series of two alternating layers of different relative orientations (AB)
hole
(also, interstice) space between atoms within a crystal
hydrogen bonding
occurs when exceptionally strong dipoles attract; bonding that exists when hydrogen is bonded to one of the three most electronegative elements: F, O, or N
induced dipole
temporary dipole formed when the electrons of an atom or molecule are distorted by the instantaneous dipole of a neighboring atom or molecule
instantaneous dipole
temporary dipole that occurs for a brief moment in time when the electrons of an atom or molecule are distributed asymmetrically
intermolecular force
noncovalent attractive force between atoms, molecules, and/or ions
interstitial sites
spaces between the regular particle positions in any array of atoms or ions
ionic solid
solid composed of positive and negative ions held together by strong electrostatic attractions
isomorphous
possessing the same crystalline structure
melting
change from a solid state to a liquid state
melting point
temperature at which the solid and liquid phases of a substance are in equilibrium; see also freezing point
metallic solid
solid composed of metal atoms
molecular solid
solid composed of neutral molecules held together by intermolecular forces of attraction
normal boiling point
temperature at which a liquid’s vapor pressure equals 1 atm (760 torr)
octahedral hole
open space in a crystal at the center of six particles located at the corners of an octahedron
phase diagram
pressure-temperature graph summarizing conditions under which the phases of a substance can exist
polarizability
measure of the ability of a charge to distort a molecule’s charge distribution (electron cloud)
simple cubic structure
crystalline structure with a cubic unit cell with lattice points only at the corners
simple cubic unit cell
(also, primitive cubic unit cell) unit cell in the simple cubic structure
space lattice
all points within a crystal that have identical environments
sublimation
change from solid state directly to gaseous state
supercritical fluid
substance at a temperature and pressure higher than its critical point; exhibits properties intermediate between those of gaseous and liquid states
surface tension
energy required to increase the area, or length, of a liquid surface by a given amount
tetrahedral hole
tetrahedral space formed by four atoms or ions in a crystal
triple point
temperature and pressure at which the vapor, liquid, and solid phases of a substance are in equilibrium
unit cell
smallest portion of a space lattice that is repeated in three dimensions to form the entire lattice
vacancy
defect that occurs when a position that should contain an atom or ion is vacant
van der Waals force
attractive or repulsive force between molecules, including dipole-dipole, dipole-induced dipole, and London dispersion forces; does not include forces due to covalent or ionic bonding, or the attraction between ions and molecules
vapor pressure
(also, equilibrium vapor pressure) pressure exerted by a vapor in equilibrium with a solid or a liquid at a given temperature
vaporization
change from liquid state to gaseous state
viscosity
measure of a liquid’s resistance to flow
X-ray crystallography
experimental technique for determining distances between atoms in a crystal by measuring the angles at which X-rays are diffracted when passing through the crystal
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