ENGLISH FOR CHEMISTRY CLASSROOM

CHAPTER 3. VOCABULARY

Objectives

At the end of this unit, students are expected to use context to determine meaning of simple
words in chemistry.

Chemistry is a science subject which studies the various compounds of matter, it analyses their
principles, investigates their combinations and inspects the generated effects. Chemistry has
special terms related to the material in these subjects. Some chemical terms in English which
are generally translated into Indonesian will have incoherent meanings. Therefore, as
chemistry teachers, we must understand the terms. As an overview, the following are the two
passages we studied in the previous meeting. We will be giving out the common and important
words from the passages regarding Chemistry vocabularies.

Passage 1

If you are a tea drinker you have probably heard of tannins, which are plant-based chemicals
found in tea. They are responsible for the astringent bitter taste sometimes associated with tea.
When you drink a cup of tea, it usually dissolves and remains clear unless the water is too cold
or too alkaline.

Tannins occur in many different types of plants and food, but are especially present in oak galls,
which have been used for centuries in Chinese medicine due to their health-giving properties.
Tannins are often present in drinks and medicine because they are soluble in water, but how
much they dissolve depends on factors like temperature and the chemical make up of the liquid.

Source: IELTS Prep

1 Tanin class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that causes the dry

and puckery feeling in the mouth following the consumption of
unripened fruit, or tea.
2 Chemicals any pure substance (an element) or any mixture (a solution,
compound, or gas).
3 Astringent sensation that follows a taste of tea.
4 Dissolves (v) become or cause to become incorporated into a liquid so as to
form a solution.
5 Soluble (n) able to be dissolved, especially in water.
6 Liquid a substance that flows freely but is of constant volume, having a
consistency like that of water or oil.
 7 Alkaline having the properties of an alkali, or containing alkali; having a pH
greater than 7.

Passage 2

Carbon tetrachloride is a colorless and inflammable liquid that can be produced by combining
carbon disulfide and chlorine. This compound is widely used in industry today because of its
effectiveness as a solvent as well as its use in the production of propellants.

Despite its widespread use in industry, carbon tetrachloride has been banned for home use. In
the past, carbon tetrachloride was a common ingredient in cleaning compounds that were used
throughout the home, but it was found to be dangerous: when heated, it changes into a
poisonous gas that can cause severe illness and even death if it is inhaled. Because of this
dangerous characteristic, the United States revoked permission for the home use of carbon
tetrachloride in 1970. The United States has taken similar action with various other chemical
compounds.
Source: Longman

1 Cabron tetrachloride
2 Carbon sulfide
3 Chlorine
4 Inflammable
5 Liquid
6 Solvent
7 Compounds
8 Poisonous gas
a colorless nonflammable toxic liquid CCl4 that has an odor
resembling that of chloroform.
a toxic colorless flammable liquid used in the manufacture of
rayon and cellophane.
chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17.
easily set on fire.
a substance that flows freely but is of constant volume,
having a consistency like that of water or oil.
able to dissolve other substances.
a thing that is composed of two or more separate elements;
a mixture.
causing or capable of causing death or illness if taken into the
body, extremely unpleasant or malicious.
Try to identify and improve your vocabulary!

To figure out the meaning of a word, there are often skills you can use:
1) find the definition of structural clues,
2) determine the meaning of the part of the word, and
3) use context clues to determine meaning.

Task 1. CHEMICAL BOND

• chemical bonds
• covalent bonds
• ionic bonding
• metallic bonds
• valency
• bond length

Chemical bonds refer to the forces holding atoms together to form molecules and solids. This
force is of an electric nature, and the attraction between electrons of one atom to the nucleus
of another atom contributes to what is known as (1) ____________. Although electrons of one
atom repel electrons of another, the repulsion is relatively small. So is the repulsion between
atomic nuclei.

Various theories regarding chemical bonds have been proposed over the past 300 years, during
which our interpretation of the world has also changed. Some old concepts such as Lewis dot
structure and (2) ___________are still rather useful in our understanding of the chemical
properties of atoms and molecules, and new concepts involving quantum mechanics of
chemical bonding interpret modern observations very well.

While reading this page, you learn new concepts such as (3) ____________, bond energy, bond
order, covalent bond, ionic bond, polar and non-polar bond etc. These concepts help you
understand the material world at the molecular level.

Chemical bonds between identical atoms such as those in H2, N2, and O2 are called (4)
____________, in which the bonding electrons are shared. In ionic compounds, such as NaCl,
the ions gather and arrange in a systematic fashion to form a solid. The arrangement of (blue)
Na+ and (green) Cl− ions in a solid is shown in on the right here. The attraction force between
ions is called (5) ___________. Metals such as sodium, copper, gold, iron etc. have special
properties such as being good electric conductors. Electrons in these solids move freely
throughout the entire solid, and the forces holding atoms together are called (6)
____________. To some extent, metals are ions submerged in electrons.

Source: Chemistry Libretext

Task 2. Uranium

Uranium, a radioactive metal named after the planet Uranus, is a primary source of energy
in nuclear power plants and certain nuclear weapons. It occurs naturally in three different
isotopes, which differ in their facility in undergoing nuclear fission. 1A. The three naturally
occurring isotopes of uranium are U-234, U-235, and U-238. 1B. Each of these isotopes has the
same atomic number of 92, which is the number of protons in the nucleus. 1C. However, each
has a different number of neutrons and thus has a different atomic mass, which is the sum of
the number of protons and neutrons. 1D.
Of these naturally occurring isotopes of uranium, U238 is by far the most common, while
U-235 is the most capable of undergoing nuclear fission. 2A. More than 99% of all naturally
occurring uranium is U-238, while U-234 and U-235 each make up less than 1%. 2B. Nuclear
fission can occur when a U-235 nucleus is struck by a neutron, and the nucleus splits, releasing
energy and releasing two more neutrons. 2C. However, nuclear fission rarely involves a U-238
nucleus or a U-234 nucleus because it is unusual for either of these nuclei to break apart when
struck by a neutron. 2D.

Questions Answers
The following sentence could be added to paragraph 1:

U-234 has 92 protons and 142 neutrons for an atomic mass of 234,
U-235 has 92 protons and 143 neutrons for a total of 235, and U-
238 has 92 protons and 146 neutrons for a total of 238.

Where would it best fit into the paragraph? Is it suitable to be

placed in 1A, 1B, 1C, or 1D? Write down your answer in the right
column!
The following sentence could be added to paragraph 2:

These neutrons can create a chain reaction by causing other U-235

nuclei to break up.

Where would it best fit into the paragraph? Is it suitable to be

placed in 2A, 2B, 2C, or 2D? Write down your answer in the right
column!

Source: Longman
Task 3. Chemistry Vocabularies
Try to find another essential list of word and phrases in Chemistry! Write on the Table below.

1 chemical bonds
2 atoms
3 molecules
4 solids
5 electrons
6 nucleus
7 quantum mechanics
8 bond energy
9 bond order
10 covalent bond
11 ionic bond
12 polar
13 non-polar
14 ions
15 metals
16 sodium
17 copper
18 gold
19 iron
20 conductors
21 radioactive
22 energy
23 isotopes
24 nuclear fission
25 protons
26 atomic mass
27 atomic number
…