Organic Chemistry Glossary

Organic Chemistry is full of numerous similar sounding terms, and chemicals, which is why most labs have barcode labels, and a wireless barcode scanner. The terms and resources below should make organic chemistry a bit less confusing: Organic Chemistry Terms: absolute zero: The temperature where all movement stops even on a molecular level, it is also lowest temperature on the Kelvin scale. acid: A liquid with a pH less than seven. adsorption: When rather than being absorbed a substance collects upon the surface of another substance. More alloy: A combination of metals usually made to produce a metal with stronger properties of both. amino acid: A combination of amines and acids, which provide the basis for proteins. asymmetric: Molecules that are not symmetrical. base anhydride: Type of oxide that can form a base if water is added. base: A liquid with a pH greater than seven. binary compound: A compound that consists of specifically two elements. binding energy: Energy that holds nucleus' neutrons and protons together. buffer: A liquid that can hinder a change in the pH when added to an acid or a base. calorimetry: Used to describe the study of the flow of heat. catalyst: A substance that can make a chemical reaction faster but which is not actually needed to produce the reaction nor is used in the reaction. chain reaction: When a reaction provides the agents for a subsequent reaction. chemical properties: Properties that require a chemical reaction to observe. chirality: Used to describe when symmetric parts of a molecule are not super imposable on one another. circuit: The path through which electrons flow. colligative property: A solution property that changes if the concentration of that solution changes. combustion: When a compound is changed into water, heat, and CO2 as a result of combining with oxygen. compound: A combination of elements into a more complex molecule. concentration: The amount of a substance dissolved in a liquid. condensation: When vapor changes into a liquid. conductance: A the amount of electricity which can flow through an object. constitution: The types and totals of atoms which makeup a molecule. continuous spectrum: A spectrum all the colors of light. covalent bond: A bond where atoms share elections. critical mass: The amount of a specific radioactive material it takes to create a chain reaction. decomposition: When a complex molecule becomes broken apart to create two or more smaller ones. denature: When the structure of proteins beak down from exposure to heat. diffusion: When particles move to a lower area of concentration from a high area of concentration. dilution: When a substance, called a solvent, is added to a suspension to reduce the concentration. distillation: When a mix of liquids is separated by heating it up because one liquid boils at a different temperature than the other. electrolysis: When a compound is separated by the use of electricity. element: A substance that cannot be divded chemically into component substances. emulsion: When drops of a li quid are suspended in another liquid. energy level: The current level of energy an electron has within an atom. equilibrium: When the forward and reverse rates are equal in a chemical reaction. equivalence point: When a solution is completely neutral in a titration. excited state: The high level of energy electrons can achieve as energy is added. group: A column within the periodic table of elements. half-life: The time it takes for a decaying radioactive substance to be reduced by half. heat: A measure of the kinetic energy within a system of particles. hybrid orbitals: Orbitals created by mixing other orbitals. hybridization: The process wherein orbitals of similar energies are combined to form a set of equivlent 'hybrid' orbital. hydrolysis: A chemical reaction where water is introduced in another substance usually to separate it. immiscible: When substances cannot dissolve into one another. indicators: Compunds which change colors at different pH levels. intermediate: Molecules that exist only during a chemical reaction; not before or after the reaction. intermolecular force: The force between two molecules. ion: An atom which has lost or gained electrons and become charged. ionic bond: A bond formed when charge particles stick together. ionization energy: The energy needed to remove an electron from a gaseous atom. irreversible reaction: A chemical reaction after which the resulting agents cannot be changed back into the reactions ingredients. limiting reagent: A chemical in a reaction that is used up before other ingredients in the reaction, thus limiting how much of the resulting substance can be produced. lone pair/unshared pair: Two electrons that are not shared between atoms within a molecule. mass: The measure of an object's matter. molecular formula: The formula that shows all the atoms a molecule consist of. molecule: The smallest piece of an atom that can exist in a free state. neutralization reaction: A reaction between an acid and a base that results in salt and water. node: Part of the orbital area in an atom where it is impossible to find an electron. nonpolar covalent bond: A bond where elections are equally shared between two atoms. nuclear fusion: When parts of the nucleus of atoms are forced together to create a new one. nuclear reaction: When a reaction affects the nucleus of an atom. nucleons: The particles in the nucleus of an atom. orbital: The area of an atom where electrons orbit it. osmosis: When a liquid flows through a semi permeable membrane. percent yield: The percentage of yield that occurred versus the theoretical yield. physical property: Properties of a substance that can be observed without using a chemical reaction that would change the substance. potential energy: Energy which something has but which is not being used, such as a motionless rock at the top of a cliff. protecting group: A ground used in preventing undesired reactions. radioactive: Describes a substance with an unstable nucleus. redox reaction: A reaction consisting of both reduction and oxidation. saturated: When a liquid has dissolved as much of a substance as it can. specific heat capacity: The heat needed to raise a gram of a substance temperature by a degree. spectrophotometer: Tool that measures the absorption or emission of electromagnetic radiation. spontaneous change: Changes that occur on their own. suspension: A mixture of solids in a liquid. synthesis: Describes when a molecule consists of two or more smaller ones. temperature: The measure of the kinetic energy present in a system. unit cell: The smallest part of a crystal that could be used to create the whole crystal. unsaturated: When a liquid has not absorbed so much of a substance that it cannot absorb more. vaporization: When you heat a liquid and it turns into a gas. 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