Introduction
Chemistry basics provide the foundation for understanding matter, its properties, and the changes it undergoes. Master key concepts in this fundamental science today.
One-Liner Questions on Chemistry Basics
General Concepts
- What is chemistry?
- Define matter.
- What are the three states of matter?
- What is the smallest unit of an element?
- What is the difference between an atom and a molecule?
- What are the main branches of chemistry?
- What is the periodic table?
- Define atomic number.
- Define mass number.
- What are isotopes?
Atoms and Molecules
- What are subatomic particles?
- What is the charge of a proton?
- What is the charge of an electron?
- What is the mass of a neutron?
- What are valence electrons?
- What is the octet rule?
- Define chemical bond.
- What is a covalent bond?
- What is an ionic bond?
- What is a metallic bond?
Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures
- What is an element?
- Define compound.
- What is a mixture?
- How do homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures differ?
- What is a solution?
- What is a solvent?
- What is a solute?
- Give an example of a colloid.
- What is the Tyndall effect?
- Define suspension.
Chemical Reactions
- What is a chemical reaction?
- Name the parts of a chemical equation.
- What is a reactant?
- What is a product?
- Define exothermic reaction.
- Define endothermic reaction.
- What is the law of conservation of mass?
- What is a catalyst?
- What is activation energy?
- Name the types of chemical reactions.
Acids, Bases, and Salts
- What are acids?
- What are bases?
- What is the pH scale?
- What is neutralization?
- What is a salt in chemistry?
- Give an example of an acid.
- Give an example of a base.
- What is an indicator?
- What is the pH of pure water?
- What are strong acids?
Physical and Chemical Changes
- What is a physical change?
- What is a chemical change?
- Give an example of a physical change.
- Give an example of a chemical change.
- What are reversible changes?
- What are irreversible changes?
- Define sublimation.
- What is evaporation?
- What is condensation?
- What is deposition?
Atomic Structure
- What is Bohr’s model of the atom?
- What is an electron configuration?
- Define atomic orbital.
- What are energy levels?
- What is the Pauli exclusion principle?
- What is Hund’s rule?
- What is the Aufbau principle?
- What are quantum numbers?
- What is Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle?
- What is Rutherford’s model of the atom?
Periodic Table
- What is the periodic table?
- Who invented the periodic table?
- What is a period in the periodic table?
- What is a group in the periodic table?
- Define periodicity.
- What are noble gases?
- What are alkali metals?
- What are halogens?
- What is the atomic mass of an element?
- What is a transition metal?
Mole Concept
- What is a mole in chemistry?
- Define Avogadro’s number.
- What is molar mass?
- What is the formula for calculating the number of moles?
- What is a molecular formula?
- What is an empirical formula?
- What is stoichiometry?
- What is the percentage composition of a compound?
- Define limiting reagent.
- What is molarity?
Thermodynamics
- What is thermodynamics in chemistry?
- Define enthalpy.
- What is entropy?
- What is Gibbs free energy?
- Define the first law of thermodynamics.
- What is the second law of thermodynamics?
- What is a spontaneous reaction?
- What is heat capacity?
- What is specific heat?
- What is Hess’s law?
Electrochemistry
- What is electrochemistry?
- Define oxidation.
- Define reduction.
- What is an electrolyte?
- What is a galvanic cell?
- What is an electrolytic cell?
- Define redox reaction.
- What is the standard electrode potential?
- What is corrosion?
- What is electroplating?
Chemistry Basics: Answers
- Chemistry is the study of matter, its properties, and the changes it undergoes.
- Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space.
- Solid, liquid, and gas.
- The atom.
- Atoms are individual units; molecules are groups of atoms bonded together.
- Organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, biochemistry, and theoretical chemistry.
- A tabular arrangement of elements based on atomic number.
- The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus.
- The mass number of an atom is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus.
- Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, resulting in different mass numbers.
Atoms and Molecules
- Subatomic particles are particles smaller than an atom, such as protons, neutrons, and electrons.
- A proton has a positive charge (+1).
- An electron has a negative charge (-1).
- A neutron has no charge and a mass approximately equal to a proton.
- Valence electrons are electrons in the outermost shell of an atom.
- The octet rule states that atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to achieve a full set of eight valence electrons.
- A chemical bond is a force that holds atoms together in a molecule.
- A covalent bond is formed when two atoms share electrons.
- An ionic bond is formed when one atom donates electrons to another.
- A metallic bond involves the sharing of free electrons among a lattice of metal atoms.
Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures
- An element is a substance made of only one type of atom.
- A compound is a substance composed of two or more elements chemically combined.
- A mixture is a combination of substances that are not chemically bonded.
- Homogeneous mixtures are uniform in composition, while heterogeneous mixtures are not.
- A solution is a homogeneous mixture where one substance is dissolved in another.
- A solvent is the substance in which the solute dissolves.
- A solute is the substance dissolved in the solvent.
- An example of a colloid is milk.
- The Tyndall effect is the scattering of light by particles in a colloid.
- A suspension is a heterogeneous mixture with large particles that settle over time.
Chemical Reactions
- A chemical reaction is a process where substances change into new substances.
- A chemical equation consists of reactants and products.
- Reactants are the starting substances in a reaction.
- Products are the new substances formed in a reaction.
- An exothermic reaction releases energy.
- An endothermic reaction absorbs energy.
- The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.
- A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed.
- Activation energy is the minimum energy required to start a reaction.
- Types of reactions include combination, decomposition, displacement, and combustion.
Acids, Bases, and Salts
- Acids are substances that release hydrogen ions (H⁺) in solution.
- Bases are substances that release hydroxide ions (OH⁻) in solution.
- The pH scale measures acidity or alkalinity on a scale of 0 to 14.
- Neutralization is the reaction between an acid and a base to form salt and water.
- A salt is an ionic compound formed from the reaction of an acid and a base.
- An example of an acid is hydrochloric acid (HCl).
- An example of a base is sodium hydroxide (NaOH).
- Indicators are substances that change color in acidic or basic solutions.
- The pH of pure water is 7, which is neutral.
- Strong acids completely dissociate in solution, such as sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄).
Physical and Chemical Changes
- A physical change alters the form or appearance of a substance but not its composition.
- A chemical change results in the formation of new substances with different properties.
- An example of a physical change is melting ice.
- An example of a chemical change is rusting of iron.
- Reversible changes are those that can be undone, like freezing water.
- Irreversible changes cannot be undone, like burning wood.
- Sublimation is the direct change of a solid to a gas without passing through the liquid phase.
- Evaporation is the conversion of a liquid into vapor at the surface.
- Condensation is the process of gas turning into a liquid.
- Deposition is the change of a gas directly into a solid without becoming a liquid.
Atomic Structure
- Bohr’s model describes atoms as having electrons orbiting the nucleus in fixed energy levels.
- Electron configuration shows the arrangement of electrons in an atom’s orbitals.
- An atomic orbital is a region where there is a high probability of finding an electron.
- Energy levels are fixed distances from the nucleus where electrons reside.
- The Pauli exclusion principle states that no two electrons can have the same set of four quantum numbers.
- Hund’s rule states that electrons fill orbitals singly before pairing up.
- The Aufbau principle states that electrons occupy the lowest energy orbital available.
- Quantum numbers describe the properties of atomic orbitals and their electrons.
- Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle states it is impossible to know both the position and momentum of an electron simultaneously.
- Rutherford’s model proposed a dense, positively charged nucleus with electrons orbiting around it.
Periodic Table
- The periodic table is an arrangement of elements based on their atomic number and properties.
- Dmitri Mendeleev invented the periodic table.
- A period in the periodic table is a horizontal row of elements.
- A group in the periodic table is a vertical column of elements.
- Periodicity refers to the repeating pattern of chemical properties in elements.
- Noble gases are unreactive gases in Group 18 of the periodic table.
- Alkali metals are highly reactive metals in Group 1.
- Halogens are reactive non-metals in Group 17.
- Atomic mass is the weighted average mass of an element’s isotopes.
- Transition metals are elements found in Groups 3-12 that exhibit variable oxidation states.
Mole Concept
- A mole is the SI unit for the amount of substance, containing 6.022×10236.022×1023 entities (Avogadro’s number).
- Avogadro’s number is 6.022×10236.022×1023, representing particles in one mole.
- Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance.
- The formula for moles is moles=given massmolar massmoles=molar massgiven mass.
- A molecular formula shows the exact number of atoms in a molecule.
- An empirical formula gives the simplest whole-number ratio of elements in a compound.
- Stoichiometry deals with the quantitative relationships in chemical reactions.
- Percentage composition is the percentage by mass of each element in a compound.
- The limiting reagent is the reactant that determines the amount of product formed in a reaction.
- Molarity is the concentration of a solution, defined as moles of solute/liters of solutionmoles of solute/liters of solution.
Thermodynamics
- Thermodynamics is the study of energy changes in chemical processes.
- Enthalpy is the total heat content of a system.
- Entropy is a measure of disorder or randomness in a system.
- Gibbs free energy determines the spontaneity of a reaction.
- The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed.
- The second law of thermodynamics states that entropy in a closed system always increases.
- A spontaneous reaction occurs naturally without external energy.
- Heat capacity is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance by 1°C.
- Specific heat is the amount of heat per unit mass required to raise the temperature by 1°C.
- Hess’s law states that the total enthalpy change in a reaction is independent of the pathway taken.
Electrochemistry
- Electrochemistry studies the relationship between electricity and chemical reactions.
- Oxidation is the loss of electrons.
- Reduction is the gain of electrons.
- Electrolytes are substances that conduct electricity in molten or dissolved states.
- A galvanic cell generates electricity from spontaneous chemical reactions.
- An electrolytic cell uses electricity to drive non-spontaneous reactions.
- A redox reaction involves simultaneous oxidation and reduction.
- The standard electrode potential measures the tendency of a half-cell to gain or lose electrons.
- Corrosion is the gradual degradation of metals due to chemical reactions with their environment.
- Electroplating is the process of depositing a thin layer of metal onto a surface using electrolysis.
Key Takeaways
- Chemistry explains the composition and behavior of matter.
- Atomic theory forms the foundation of chemistry.
- Chemical bonds create compounds from elements.
- The periodic table organizes elements by properties.
- Chemical reactions follow the conservation of mass.
- Acids and bases are classified by pH.
- Physical and chemical changes alter matter differently.
- Thermodynamics governs energy changes in reactions.
- Mole concept simplifies quantitative chemistry.
- Electrochemistry connects electricity with chemical changes.
Also Read: Chemistry Quiz Questions for College Students
Related posts:
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)