CHEMISTRY DEFINITION LIST

BY IZZ ZIQRY @ SMSS

CHEMISTRY DEFINITION LIST

Form 4
No Term Definition
Chapter 1, 2 & 3
1 Chemistry Field of science that studies the structures, properties, compositions and
interactions between matters.
2 Atom The smallest neutral particle of an element.
3 Molecule A neutral particle consists of the same or different non-metal atom which are
covalently bond.
4 Ion Positive or negative charged particles, which are formed from metal atoms and
non-atom atoms respectively.
5 Element A substance made from only one type of atom.
6 Compound A substance made from two or more different elements which are bonded
together.
7 Proton number Number of protons in the nucleus of its atom.

8 Nucleon number Number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of its atom.

9 Isotope Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but different
number of neutrons.
10 Valence electron Electrons in the outermost shell of an atom.

11 Melting point Constant temperature when a substance changes from solid state to become
liquid at a specific pressure.
12 Boiling point Constant temperature when a substance changes from liquid state to become
gas at a specific pressure.
13 Freezing point Constant temperature when a substance changes from liquid state to become
solid at a specific pressure.
14 Relative atomic mass The average mass of one atom of the elements compared with 1/12 of the mass
of an atom of carbon-12.
15 1 mole Quantity of substance that contains as many particles as the number of atoms
in exactly 12 g of carbon-12.
16 Avogadro constant A fixed quantity of 6.02 x 1023 mol-1 particles.

17 Molar mass Mass for 1 mole of substance (gmol-1).

18 Molar volume Volume of 1 mole of gas occupying 24 dm3 at room temperature and pressure
or the volume of 1 mole of gas occupying 22.4 dm3 at standard temperature
and pressure (STP) .
19 Chemical Formula A representative of a substance using letters to show the type of atoms and
subscripts numbers to show the number of atoms in that substance.
 CHEMISTRY DEFINITION LIST
BY IZZ ZIQRY @ SMSS

20 Empirical Formula A chemical formula that shows the simplest whole number ratio of atoms of
each element in a compound.
21 Molecular Formula A chemical formula that shows the actual number of atoms of each element
that are present in a molecule of the compound.
Chapter 4
22 Periodic Table It is an arrangement of the elements in the order of increasing proton number.

23 Group Vertical column of elements in the Periodic Table arranged according to the
number of valence electrons in the outermost shell of atoms.

24 Period The horizontal row of elements in the Periodic Table consists of the same
number of shells occupied with electrons in an atom.
25 Amphoteric Oxide Oxide that can react with both acid and alkali to form salt and water .

26 Basic Oxide Metal oxide that can react with acid to form salt and water.

27 Acidic Oxide Non-metal oxide that can react with alkali to form salt and water .

Chapter 5
28 Chemical bonds Chemical bonds are formed when two or more atoms of elements bond
together.
29 Ionic Bond Bonds formed between atoms of metal elements that release electrons to
atoms of non-metal elements that are attracted to strong electrostatic force.
30 Covalent Bond Bond formed by the sharing of electrons between non-metal atoms.

31 Electronegativity Strength of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons towards its nucleus.

32 Electropositivity Tendency of an atom to donate electrons and form positively charged cations.

33 Hydrogen Bond Attraction between hydrogen atoms with the high electronegative atoms from
other molecules.
34 Dative Bond A type of covalent bond where the electron pair that is shared comes from one
atom only.
35 Metallic Bond Strong electrostatic attraction between the sea of electrons and the
positively-charged metal ions.
36 Sea of electrons Delocalised electrons that freely move between metal structures.

37 Electrolyte Substance that can conduct electric current in a molten state

or aqueous solution and undergo chemical changes.
38 Electrochemistry The arrangement of metals based on their tendency to donate electrons.
Series
39 Reactivity Series The arrangement of metals in the descending order of their reactivities.
 CHEMISTRY DEFINITION LIST
BY IZZ ZIQRY @ SMSS

Chapter 6
40 Acid Chemical substance which ionises in water to produce hydrogen ion.

41 Base Chemical substance that reacts with acid to produce salt and water only.

42 Alkali Base that is soluble in water and ionises to hydroxide ion.

43 Strong Acid Acid that ionises completely in water to produce high concentration of
hydrogen ion.
44 Weak Acid Acid that partially ionises in water to produce low concentration of hydrogen
ion.
45 Strong Alkali Alkali that ionises completely in water to produce high concentration of
hydroxide ion.
46 Weak Alkali alkali that partially ionises in water to produce low concentration of hydroxide
ion.
47 Ionic Equation Equation that shows particles that change during chemical reaction.

48 Solution Homogeneous mixture formed when a solute is dissolved in a solvent.

49 pH Value Concentration of hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions in aqueous solution.

50 pH Scale Scale of numbers ranging between 0 to 14 to measure the degree of acidity and
alkalinity of an aqueous solution.
51 Concentration Measurement that shows the quantity of solute dissolved in a unit volume of
solution which is usually 1 dm3 of solution.
52 Molarity The concentration in unit mol dm3 .

53 Standard Solution A solution in which its concentration is accurately known.

54 Neutralisation Neutralisation is the reaction between an acid and a base to form only salt and
pwater.
55 Acid-base Titration A technique used to determine the volume of an acid required to neutralise a
fixed volume of an alkali with the help of an acid-base indicator.
56 End Point The point in the titration at which the acid-base indicator changes color.

57 Salt A compound formed when the hydrogen ion, H+ in an acid is replaced with
metal ion or ammonium ion, NH4+.
Chapter 7 & 8
58 Rate of Reaction Measurement of the change in quantity of reactant or product per unit time.

59 Activation Energy The minimum amount of energy needed for the reacting particles to react.
 CHEMISTRY DEFINITION LIST
BY IZZ ZIQRY @ SMSS

60 Effective Collision Collisions that lead to a chemical reaction and result in the formation of
products.
61 Catalyst A substance that changes the rate of reaction without itself being chemically
changed in the reaction.
62 Alloy A mixture of two or more elements with a certain fixed/specific composition.
The major component in the mixture is metal .
63 Ceramic An inorganic non-metallic solid. It is made up of either metal or non-metal
compounds that have been shaped and then hardened by heating to high
temperatures.
64 Composite Materials Formed by combining two or more non-homogeneous materials. Most
composites are made up of just two materials which are matrix or binder
materials and reinforcement materials.
 CHEMISTRY DEFINITION LIST
BY IZZ ZIQRY @ SMSS

Form 5
No Term Definition
Chapter 1
65 Redox Chemical reaction where oxidation and reduction occur simultaneously.
66 Oxidation and
reduction reaction
Oxidation Reduction

Oxygen A substance gains oxygen A substance loses oxygen

Hydrogen A substance loses oxygen A substance gains oxygen

Electrons A substance loses A substances loses

electrons electrons

Oxidation Increase in oxidation Decrease in oxidation

number number number

67 Oxidation Agent A substance that oxidises another substance at the same time undergoes
reduction.
68 Reducing Agent A substance that reduces another substance at the same time undergoes
oxidation.
69 Anode Region where oxidation occur.
70 Cathode Region where reduction occur.
71 Oxidation half Equation representing oxidation that take place involve loss of electrons and
equation increase in oxidation number.
72 Reduction half Equation representing reduction that take place involve gain of electrons and
equation decrease in oxidation number.
73 Electrochemical Arrangement of metals in order of their increasing electrode potential values,
series E° from the most negative to the most positive.
74 Displacement Reaction in which the more electropositive metal displaces the less
reaction electropositive metal from its salt solution.
75 Voltaic Cell A cell made up of two different metals which are dipped in an electrolyte and
connected by an external circuit .
76 Cell Notation A shorthand method of describing a voltaic cell.
77 Conductor Element that can conduct electricity in solid or molten state without any
chemical changes.
78 Electrolytes Compounds that can conduct electricity in molten state or aqueous solution
and undergo chemical changes.
79 Non-Electrolytes Compounds that cannot conduct electricity in solid, molten and aqueous
solution.
80 Electrolysis A process whereby an electrolyte is decomposed to its constituent elements
when electric current passes through it.
81 Electroplating A process for coating a metal object with a layer of desired metal.
 CHEMISTRY DEFINITION LIST
BY IZZ ZIQRY @ SMSS

82 Purification of Process for removing impurities from an impure metal.

Metal
83 Corrosion of Metal Redox reaction in which a metal undergoes oxidation spontaneously to its ion
by losing electrons to form metal ion.
84 Rusting of Iron Corrosion of iron. Iron undergoes oxidation spontaneously by losing electrons
to form iron(II) ion.
Chapter 2
85 Carbon Compound Compound that contains the carbon as their constituent element

86 Organic Compound Compounds originating from living things that contain carbon atoms
covalently bonded to other atoms such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorus and halogen.
87 Inorganic Compound originating from non-living materials such as oxides of carbon,
Compound carbonate compound and cyanide compounds.
88 Hydrocarbon Organic compounds that contain only carbon, C and hydrogen, H.

89 Non Hydrocarbon Organic compounds containing carbon and hydrogen as well as other
elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus or halogen.
90 Saturated Hydrocarbons that contain only single covalent bonds between carbon
Hydrocarbons atoms.
91 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons that contain at least one double or triple covalent bond
Hydrocarbons between carbon atoms.
92 Petroleum A mixture of simple or long-chain hydrocarbons.

93 Fractional The Fractions of hydrocarbons in petroleum are separated at different

Distillation temperatures according to the size of the hydrocarbons.
94 Cracking Long chains of hydrocarbons are cracked into smaller molecules at a high
temperature using a catalyst.
95 Functional Group Group of atoms bonded to an organic molecular compound.

96 Isomers Molecules that have the same molecular formula but different structural
formulae.
Chapter 3
97 Exothermic Chemical reactions that release heat to the surroundings.
Reaction
98 Endothermic Chemical reactions that absorb heat from the surroundings.
Reaction
99 Heat of Heat changes when one mole of precipitate is formed from their ions in an
Precipitation aqueous solution.
100 Heat of Heat changes when one mole of metal is displaced from its salt solution by a
Displacement more electropositive metal.
101 Heat of Heat changes when one mole of water is formed from the reaction between
Neutralisation an acid and an alkali.
 CHEMISTRY DEFINITION LIST
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102 Heat of Combustion Heat released when one mole of a substance is completely burnt in excess
Oxygen.
103 Fuel Value Amount of heat energy released when one gram of fuel is completely burnt in
excess oxygen.
Chapter 4
104 Polymer A long chain molecule that is made from a combination of many repeating
basic units.
105 Natural Polymer Polymers that are naturally available and can be obtained from our
surroundings.
106 Synthetic Polymer Polymers that are man made through chemical reactions in laboratories or
factories.
107 Thermoplastic Polymers that can be repeatedly remoulded upon heating and can be
Polymer recycled.
108 Thermosetting Polymers that cannot be remoulded after heating.
Polymers
109 Elastomer Polymers Polymers that can be stretched and can return to their original shape when
released.
110 Latex A white fluid obtained from rubber trees when the three bark is tapped.

111 Vulcanisation A process of producing rubber that is more elastic and with better quality
through the production of cross-links between polymer chains.
112 Synthetic Rubber A synthetic polymer that is elastic in nature or elastomer polymer.

Chapter 5
113 Oils and Fats Esters produced through the reaction between fatty acids and glycerol.

114 Unsaturated fatty Have at least one double bond in the carbon chain.
acids
115 Saturated fatty acids Only have a single covalent bond in the carbon chain.

116 Soap Sodium or potassium fatty acid salts.

117 Detergent Non-soap cleaning agents / Sodium salts of sulphonic acids.

118 Saponification Process of hydrolysis of oils or fats by alkalis.

119 Hard Water Water containing calcium ions, and magnesium ions.

120 Food Additives Natural or synthetic ingredients added to food to prevent damage or to
improve the appearance, taste or texture.
121 Medicine Chemical used to help with the treatment or prevention of diseases.

122 Cosmetics Material or products that are used externally to cleanse, protect or enhance
one’s appearance.
123 Nanoscience A study on processing of substances at nanoscale that are between 1
 CHEMISTRY DEFINITION LIST
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nanometre to 100 nanometres.

124 Nanotechnology Development of substances or gadgets using the properties of nanoparticles.

125 Green Technology A technology or application to minimise the negative effects of harmful
human activities.
126 Wastewater Liquid waste that consists of human waste, food waste, oil and chemicals.