General Chemistry Reviewer

Lesson 1.1

Matter - Anything that has mass and volume. It is the quantity of matter in an object,
volume is the amount of space matter takes up.

States of Matter
Solids
- Every solid has definite shape and a definite volume
- The molecules in a solid are held very close together
- In elements- each element or mineral has a specific crystal shape
- The crystalline shape determines properties for the element or mineral

Liquids
- A liquid does not have a definite shape, but does have a definite volume
- The molecules in a liquid are not held as closely together, so they can “slide”
past each other

Gases
- Doesnt have a definite shape or volume– they expand or contract to fill the
space available to them
- The molecules in a gas are spread very apart and can move in any direction

Elements
- When all the atoms in a sample of matter are the same
- All matter is made up of atom (an atom is the smallest particle of an element)

Compounds
- Made from atoms of two or more elements that are combined chemically0
- Compouds can only be separated through chemical means
- A molecule is the smallest particle of a compound

Atoms
- Are the basic building blocks of matter
- Atoms have a positive charged center – Nucleus
- The nucleus contains protons and neutrons
- All around the nucleus there are negatively charged particles – Electrons
- The mass of electrons is much smaller than the mass of the protons and
neutrons. Thus, most of the mass in an atom is located in the nucleus

A neutron is neutral; a proton is a positively charged, and an electron is negatively

charged
Atomic number
- The atomic number of an atom is the number of protons in its nucleus
- Ex. Every carbon atom has 6 protons. This means its atomic number is 6 also
- The number of electrons in an atom is equal to the number of protons
- An atom is electrically neutral because it has the same number of protons and
electrons

Mass number
- Number of protons and neutrons in an atom – Mass number = Protons +
Neutrons
- Number of neutrons = mass number - atomic number

Bohr model of the atom (Planetary model of the atom)

- Niels Bohr created one of the earliest models of the atom (1913)
- Bohr’s model had a central nucleus with electrons moving around it in defined
paths or orbits

Electron cloud model of the atom

- Improved Bohr’s model (1926)
- In this model, electrons moe around in area called the electron cloud. It shows
the region where an electron is likely to be (it is impossible to determine an
exact location)
- Electrons are more likely to be closer to the nucleus than far away– this
explains what cloud is denser near the middle

Lesson 1.2

Physical Property
- Any characteristic of matter than you can observe and measure without
changing of the substances that make up the matter
- Ex. Color, size, density, odor, volume, temperature, melting point & boiling
point
- Every substance has physical properties that distinguish it from other
substances

Examples of Physical Properties

a. Solubility of a substance is its ability to dissolve

b. Conductivity is a material’s ability to allow heat or electricity to flow
Ex. metal = high conductivity, wood = poor conductivity
c. Malleability of a substance is its ability to be hammered into a thin sheet
d. Melting and Freezing points are the temperatures at which a solid becomes a
liquid and a liquid becomes a solid
e. Density of a substance is a measure of how close together its particles are
 Ex. low density = float, high density = sink

Physical change
- A change in the appearance, without changing the identity of the material
- Can be reversible, or irreversible
- Substance may seem different, but the way the atoms link up is the same

Chemical Property
- is any ability to produce a change in the identity of matter

Examples of Chemical property

a. Flammability - material’s ability to burn in the presence of oxygen

b. Reactivity - how readily a substance combines chemically with other
substances

● Chemical change
- Occur when a subtstance reacts and forms one or more new substances
- A change in color or odor
- Production of gas (bubbling)
- Formation of a precipitate (solid)
- Absorb or release energy (gets hot or cold or light is given off

Chemical Change
- A change of one substance in a material to a different substance is a chemical
change
- Ex. Foaming of an antacid tablet, smell in the air, production of energy/heat
(exploding firecracker)
- Burning and rusting are chemical changes because different substances are
produced

Example of chemical changes

- Burning or combustion - Color change, odor change, produces a gas, gets hot
- Corroding - color change
- Rusting - color change
- Molding - color change
- Decaying - color change
- Digesting - color change, odor change, produces a gas, releases energy

Lesson 1.3
Pure substances
- Are also known as substances
- Have a constant composition

Elements
- When all the atoms in a sample of matter are the same
- All matter is made up of atom (an atom is the smallest particle of an element)

Compounds
- Made from atoms of two or more elements that are combined chemically0
- Compouds can only be separated through chemical means
- A molecule is the smallest particle of a compound

Seperating mixtures
- A mixture is a combination that can be separated physically
- The difference in a physical property can be used to separate substance in a
mixture

Mixtures
- Two or more substance that are physically combined (not bonded)
- Can be separated into component by physical changes ex. Filtering

Heterogenous mixture
- An uneven mixture of particles
- Have visible differences
Examples - sand and water, oil and water, salt and pepper
- Are easily separated by filtration

● Homogenous mixtures (solutions)

- Have no visible differences until you reach the atomic or molecular level
- Can be separated back into the pure substances
Examples - air, salt water, tap water, metal alloys

● Solutions
- Are homogenous mixtures of particles so small they can not be seen with a
microscope
- The particles will never settle out to the bottom
- Solutions stay mixed

a. Solvent
- The solvent is the part of the solution that does the dissolving
- When a solid dissolves the liquid is the solvent
- In salt water, the water is the solvent
b. Solute
- The solute is the part of the solution that gets dissolved
- When a solid dissolves into a liquid the solid is the solute
- In salt water, the salt is the solute

● Colloids - Homogenous, medium-sized particles, particles dont settle (milk)

● Suspension - Heterogenous, large particles, particles settle (fresh-squeezed
lemonade)

● Tyndall effect