Glossary
A
- acid
- - a chemical that has a sour taste and can corrode metal
- antacid
- - a medicine that helps to change the acidity of stomach acid
- atom
- - the smallest building block of all matter
B
- base
- - a chemical that has a bitter taste and is opposite of an acid
- boiling point
- - the temperature at which a substance starts boiling and transitions to a gas state
C
- chemical changes
- - a change to any matter that happens to the atoms that make up that matter
- chemical properties
- - the behavior of a chemical
- chemical reaction
- - reactions in which chemical bonds are formed or broken, and one or more substances change into entirely new substances with different properties
- chemist
- - a scientist who studies chemistry
- chemistry
- - the scientific study of matter; the structure, properties, and reactions of the elements and the compounds they form
- component
- - parts or pieces that make up a larger whole
- compound
- - when two or more elements are bound together
- conductivity
- - the ability for electricity or heat to flow through a substance
- corrode
- - to wear away matter such as a metal
D
- density
- - how much mass an object has compared to its volume, determined by the amount of space between atoms
E
- electrons
- - particles of an atom that are negatively charged and orbit the nucleus
- elements
- - matter that is made from only one kind of atom
- evaporate
- - turn from liquid into vapor
F
- filter
- - a device through which a gas or liquid is passed to separate out solid matter
- formula
- - a recipe for a compound, usually written using letters to represent elements and numbers to represent the number of atoms
L
- laboratory
- - a special room where scientific research and experiments take place
- litmus paper
- - a special paper used for determining if a chemical is an acid or a base
M
- magma
- - molten rock inside the earth that becomes lava on the surface
- magnetism
- - the force of attraction between substances made of certain materials, such as iron, nickel, and steel
- mass
- - the amount of matter in an object
- matter
- - anything that has weight or mass and takes up space
- melting point
- - the temperature at which a substance melts and transitions from a solid to a liquid state
- mixture
- - a combination of two or more substances that are not chemically joined and can be physically separated
- molecules
- - two or more atoms joined together by chemical bonds
N
- neutralize
- - to cancel out; to counteract or make ineffective
- neutrons
- - particles of an atom that are not charged and gather in the nucleus of an atom
- nucleus
- - the collection of protons and neutrons in the center of an atom
O
- orbit
- - to move or circle around another object
P
- Periodic Table of Elements
- - a table which organizes the elements by their atomic number
- photosynthesis
- - the process in which green plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own food, giving off oxygen as a byproduct
- physical changes
- - a change to any matter that happens to the physical look or temperature of that matter
- physical properties
- - the color, size, temperature, feel, smell, or other way of defining how an object looks
- properties
- - characteristics and qualities of a substance that describe and identify it
- protectant
- - a chemical that protects fabric or leather
- protons
- - particles of an atom that are positively charged and gather in the nucleus of an atom
S
- solubility
- - ability of a solid to dissolve in a liquid
- subatomic
- - smaller parts of an atom
T
- toxicity
- - the degree to which a substance is poisonous or harmful
U
- unique
- - being the only one of a particular kind, no others like it
