Physical Properties and Changes

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absorbance - measure of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by a substance, applied to total radiation or part of spectrum
absorption - assimilation of one substance into another
adiabatic - (adj) designating process in which no energy is transferred between a system and its surroundings
adsorption - attachment of one substance to the surface of another
amorphous - (adj) describing a solid without crystalline structure
Brownian motion - random motion of colloidal particles due to bombardment of the particles by molecules of the surrounding medium
capillary attraction - tendency of a liquid to rise in a narrow tube or move through absorbent material, due to greater adhesion of the liquid to the solid than the internal adhesion of the liquid itself
capillary repulsion - tendency of a liquid to pull away from a solid surface, due to greater internal cohesion of the liquid than the adhesion of the liquid to a solid surface
cohesion - physical force by which molecules of a substance are held together
colligative property - property of a substance that depends on solution concentration rather than type of solute or nature of its molecules or atoms
concentration - amount of solute per unit of solvent in a solution
condensation - change from vapor phase to liquid phase
conductivity - ability of a substance to transmit electricity or heat
crystallization - formation of crystals or assumption of crystalline structure
density - mass per unit of volume
diagonal relationship - similarities observed among elements in the periodic table
diamagnetic - (adj) describing substances containing only paired electrons in which a magnetic field is induced in the opposite direction to that of an applied field
diffusion - mixture of one substance with another throughout a given volume as a result of random molecular motion
dipole moment - vector quantity having magnitude equal to product of either of two equal electrical charges times the distance between them in a dipole
dissolution - breaking up into separate parts
ductility - ability of a substance to be drawn into a fine wire
effusion - passage of gas molecules through a small opening
electron affinity - attraction of an atom for an electron, expressed as the energy needed to restore neutrality by removing an electron from the atom’s anion
electronegative - (adj) having the ability to attract electrons in a molecule and form negative ions; nonmetallic
electropositive - (adj) tending to migrate to the negative pole in electrolysis; basic, as an element or group
endothermic - (adj) absorbing heat energy
energy - capacity to do work, which diminishes in a system when work is done by an amount equal to work so done
enthalpy change - measure of heat gained or lost by a system when it undergoes a chemical reaction or physical change at constant pressure
entropy - thermodynamic quantity describing amount of disorder or randomness in system
equilibrium - state in which forces acting on a system are balanced
evaporation - change from liquid to gas at temperature below boiling point of liquid, occurring at surface of liquid as molecules with higher kinetic energies escape into their gas phase
excited state - any of the energy levels of an atom, molecule, or other physical system that has higher energy than the lowest energy level
exothermic - (adj) releasing heat energy
extensive properties - additive properties such as mass or length that depend on the quantity of matter under consideration
ferromagnetic - (adj) designating a metal strongly capable of modifying a magnetic field, and in which magnetization persists after removal of an applied field
fission - nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus splits into fragments, usu. two nuclei of comparable size
fluorescence - emission of light that does not persist significantly after the exciting cause is removed
fusion - change from solid to liquid; nuclear reaction in which two or more smaller nuclei combine into one larger nucleus
heat - energy associated with the motion of particles
hydration - solution in which the solvent is water
immiscible - (adj) designating two liquids that will not dissolve in each other
incandescence - emission of light by a substance as a result of raising it to a high temperature
insoluble - (adj) incapable of being dissolved in specific solvent
intensive properties - nonadditive properties, such as temperature, that are independent of the quantity of matter present
internal energy - total kinetic and potential energies of atoms and molecules in a system
ionization potential - minimum energy required to remove an electron from the ground state in a specific atom
isobaric - (adj) occurring at constant pressure
isoelectronic - (adj) possessing same number of valence electrons
isolated system - system in which no energy or mass is exchanged with its surroundings
isomerism - existence of chemical compounds with the same molecular formulas but different structures
isomorphism - existence of two or more substances having the same crystalline structure
isothermic - (adj) occurring at constant temperature
kinetic energy - energy associated with motion
liquefaction - change from gas phase to liquid phase
luminescence - emission of light by a substance for any reason other than an increase in its temperature
malleability - ability of a substance to be shaped or hammered into thin sheets
mass - quantity of matter in an object, measured by its resistance to a change in its motion
melting - change from solid phase to liquid phase
miscible - (adj) designating two liquids that are mutually soluble in all proportions
neutral - (adj) having neither positive nor negative electric charge
nonpolar - (adj) describing a covalent bond between two atoms with equal electron attraction, or a molecule with no charged ends
optical activity - ability of certain substances to rotate the plane of polarized light passed through the substance or a solution containing it
osmosis - net movement of solvent molecules through a semipermeable membrane separating two solutions, the direction of movement tending to equalize concentrations of the solutions
paramagnetic - (adj) describing substances containing one or more unpaired electrons, in which a magnetic field is induced in the same direction as that of an applied field
partial pressure - pressure that one gas in a mixture of gases would exert if it occupied the entire volume by itself
phosphorescence - emission of light that persists significantly after the exciting cause is removed
physical property - any trait that can be measured without changing the composition or identity of a substance, such as color, melting point, boiling point, density, or solubility
polar - (adj) describing a covalent bond in which one atom has a stronger electron attraction than the other, or a molecule with oppositely charged ends
polarity - asymmetrical charge distribution
polarization - separation of positive and negative charges
potential difference - difference in potential energy of electrons located at different points in an electric field
potential energy - energy of an object due to its position in a force field
pressure - force per unit area
radioactivity - spontaneous disintegration of atomic nuclei accompanied by emission of alpha or beta particles or gamma radiation
solidification - change from liquid phase to solid phase
solubility - maximum amount of solute that will dissolve in a specific quantity of solvent at specific temperature
solution equilibrium - state in which a solute is dissolving and crystallizing at the same rate
solvation - interaction of solvent molecules with solute ions
specific heat capacity - thermal energy needed to raise temperature of one gram of specific substance one degree Celsius
spontaneous - (adj) occurring without outside influence
state function - property of a system that is fixed by its present state; thermodynamic quantity determined solely by conditions, not by method of arriving at those conditions
sublimation - process in which a substance changes state without becoming a liquid, usu. from solid to gas but also from gas to solid
superconductivity - absence of electrical resistance in a substance at low temperature
supercooling - cooling of a liquid below its freezing point without a change of state or solidification
supersaturated solution - solution containing more solute than is present in its saturated state at the same temperature
surface tension - property of a liquid that makes its surface behave like elastic skin due to unbalanced, molecular cohesive forces at or near surface
temperature - property of a body or region of space that determines direction of net flow of heat with neighboring objects or regions
transmutation - conversion of one element into another occurring by nuclear reaction, previously sought by alchemists using other means
vapor equilibrium - state in which evaporation and condensation take place at same rate
vaporization - change from liquid phase to gas phase
viscosity - resistance of a fluid to flow
volatility - tendency of a substance to evaporate at normal temperatures and pressures
weight - force that gravity exerts on an object