AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Chemistry Vocabulary Flashcards

A list of important vocab words from AP Chemistry.

Terms : Hide Images
7957997401NomenclatureSet of naming rules for chemicals0
7958053835Law of Conservation of MassThe scientific law that states mass is neither created nor destroyed during a reaction. The law that dictates we must balance chemical equations.1
7958066327moleA unit equal to Avogadro's number of things; 6.022 x 10^23 atoms or molecules are in a mole. Defined as the number of atoms in a 12g sample of C-12.2
7958080867molar massThe mass of a mole of a chemical; obtained by adding up the masses of the atoms in a formula using the information on the periodic table; has unit grams per mole (g/mol)3
7958098051coefficientA number used to balance a chemical equation; written in front of a chemical formula and acting as a multiplier; typically whole number values4
7958112491qualitativeAn observation or description that uses adjectives; typically made with our senses.5
7958120359quantitativeAn observation or description that is measured using a tool; reported using a number and a unit6
7958133213polyatomic ionsIons that are comprised of more than one atom bonded (usually covalently) to one another and functioning as an ionic unit7
7958151929densityA characteristic physical property of matter defined as the mass of matter per unit volume; typically has units g/mL or g/cm^38
7958165622Mass SpectrometryAn experimental technique to measure isotopes and/or fragments of molecules by observing their deflection in an applied magnetic field after the sample is ionized.9
7958196987isotopesAtoms of an element that have different mass numbers while having the same atomic number; different numbers of neutrons, but same number of protons10
7958209740mass numberthe sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom; this will vary from isotope to isotope11
7958215119atomic massthe weighted average of the masses of all atoms in a sample of an element; typically reported in the unit amu and tabulated on the periodic table12
7958228100atomic numberthe number of protons in an atom; defines the identity of an element; elements on the periodic table are arranged horizontally by increasing atomic number13
7958242927ionic bondElectrostatic force of attraction between oppositely charged ions; often between a metal and a nonmetal, or between a metal and a polyatomic ion; electron(s) is transferred from one atom to another to form cation/anion pair14
7958255189covalent bondBond formed when atoms share electrons; typically formed between two nonmetals15
7958274788polar covalent bondA bond formed (typically between two nonmetals) where the atoms have moderately different electronegativities16
7958287085nonpolar covalent bondA bond formed between two nonmetals with identical or almost identical electronegativities17
7958293889electronegativityThe periodic trend describing an atoms tendency to attract shared electrons toward itself; the "greediness" for electrons that can result in polar bonds18
7958311159ionization energyThe energy input required to remove an electron from an atom to form a cation19
7958324218atomic radiusThe "size" of an atom defined as half of the distance between nuclei in a molecule consisting of identical atoms20
7958385579transition metalA metal in groups 3-12 on the periodic table; variously called "d block" metals21
7958392621lanthanideA metal in the 4f portion of the periodic table; relatively rare22
7958404642actinideA metal in the 5f portion of the periodic table; radioactive and mostly human-made23
7958411481alkali metalA metal in Group 1 of the periodic table; very reactive due to low ionization energies; chemistry dictated by s1 electron configuration and tendency to make +1 cation24
7958421871alkaline earth metalA metal in Group 2 of the periodic table; moderately reactive due to low ionization energies; chemistry dictated by s2 electron configuration and tendency to make +2 cation25
7958439563metalloidElements on the "stairstep/zig-zag" on the periodic table; properties are intermediate between metals and nonmetals26
7958448695nonmetalElements above the "stairstep/zig-zag" plus hydrogen on the periodic table; tend to form covalent bonds to each other27
7958456641metalElements below the "stairstep/zig-zag" on the periodic table; tend to form metallic bonds to each other and form cations when reacting with nonmetals28
7958473692percent errorthe percent difference between the known value of a substance and its measured value29
7958487191empirical formulaThe simplest whole number ratio of atoms in a chemical formula.30
7958496398molecular formulaThe exact formula of a compound, giving the number and identity of each atom in the chemical; a whole number multiple of the empirical formula31
7958597965formula unitThe smallest repeating unit of an ionic compound32
7958622945molarityA description of a solution's concentration in units of moles of solute per liter of solution; symbolized as M.33
7958638760Beer's LawA law that gives the relationship between concentration and light absorbed during a spectroscopy experiment; the equation is A = abc34
7958662542Photoelectron SpectroscopyA spectroscopic technique that uses ionization to determine the shells/subshells electrons reside in; an experimental technique that gives evidence for the electronic structure of atoms and gives credence to electron configurations35
7958713567electron configurationthe arrangement of electrons in the orbitals of an atom36
7958771053electron affinityThe periodic trend of energy required to add an electron to an atom37
7958784167electrolyteA compound that forms ions when dissolved thus permitting electricity to pass through the solution38
7958804196dipoleseparation of charge in a molecule; represented by deltas (a.k.a. partial charges)39
7958824439Coulomb's lawAn equation that relates distance between charges and the size of the charges to the force of attraction/repulsion between those charges; F is proportional to (q1)(q2) / (r^2)40
7958841608Lewis structureA drawing of a molecule showing bonding electrons (as lines) and nonbonding electrons (as pairs of dots); may also represent molecular geometry41
7958850928formal chargethe charge assigned to an atom in a molecule or polyatomic ion; calculated by subtracting bonds and lone pairs from the atom's valence number42
7958868273intermolecular forcerelatively weak forces between molecules and/or ions43
7958874078intramolecular bondany force that holds together the atoms making up a molecule or compound44
7958877231metallic bonda bond formed when many metal atoms share their pooled valence electrons45
7958887387London dispersion forceThe weak attractive force caused by temporary dipoles in nonpolar molecules.46
7958890313Hydrogen bondingunusually strong dipole forces found when H is bonded to N, O, or F47
7958892782Dipole-Dipole forcesattractive forces between polar molecules48
7958905134stoichiometrythe calculation of the quantities of reactants and products involved in a chemical reaction49
7958908901mole ratiothe ratio of moles of one substance to the moles of another substance in a balanced equation; the ratio between coefficients in the equation50
7958925526percent compositionthe percent by mass of each element in a compound51
7958927736theoretical yieldthe maximum amount of product that can be produced from a given amount of reactant; determined using stoichiometric calculations from the limiting reactant52
7958932630limiting reactantthe substance that is totally consumed when the chemical reaction is complete53
7958936402excess reactantthe substance that is not used up completely in a reaction54
7958940677actual yieldthe measured amount of a product obtained from a reaction55
7958940678percent yieldthe ratio of the actual yield to the theoretical yield expressed as a percent56
7958945047mass percentthe percent by mass of a component of a mixture or of a given element in a compound57
7958952276phase notationsolid: s gas: g liquid: l aqueous: aq58
7958958090titrationA solution of known concentration is used to determine the concentration of another solution; calculated using MaVa = MbVb at the equivalence point59
7958958091dilutionAdding water to a solution in order to decrease the concentration; calculated using M1V1 = M2V260
7958968039equivalence pointoccurs when the moles of acid equal the moles of base in a solution61
7958972080neutralizationthe reaction of hydronium ions (acid) and hydroxide ions (base) to form water molecules62
7958976551endpointthe point in a titration at which the indicator changes color63
7958986565precipitateA solid that forms from a solution during a chemical reaction.64
7958989520solubility rulesa set of rules used to predict whether an ionic compound will be soluble or insoluble in water65
7958994482net ionic equationan equation that shows only the species that actually change during the reaction; obtained by cancelling out spectator ions66
7959003673total ionic equationshows all soluble ionic substances dissociated into ions67
7959006022chemical equationa way to describe a chemical reaction using chemical formulas and other symbols68
7959012107thermodynamicsthe study of energy transformations that occur in a collection of matter69
7959015077calorimetrythe science of measuring heat flow70
7959019615specific heat capacitythe energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius71
7959022967molar heat capacitythe energy required to raise the temperature of one mole of a substance by one degree Celsius72
7959025031chemical potential energyenergy stored in chemical bonds73
7959027408kinetic energyenergy of motion74
7959031526temperatureA measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles of a substance.75

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!