21/01/2024
There are many terms used in chemistry, but here are 20 of the most common ones, along with their definitions and the names of the scientists who introduced or contributed to them:
- **Atom**: The smallest unit of matter that retains the identity of an element. The concept of atoms was first proposed by the ancient Greek philosophers Leucippus and Democritus, but the modern atomic theory was developed by John Dalton in the early 19th century.
- **Molecule**: A group of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds. The term was coined by Amedeo Avogadro in 1811, who also proposed that equal volumes of gases contain equal numbers of molecules.
- **Element**: A pure substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means. The term was first used by Robert Boyle in 1661, who also distinguished elements from compounds. The periodic table of elements was devised by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869, who also predicted the existence and properties of some unknown elements.
- **Compound**: A substance composed of two or more different elements chemically combined in a fixed ratio. The term was also introduced by Robert Boyle, who showed that compounds have different properties from their constituent elements. The law of definite proportions, which states that the elements in a compound are always present in the same ratio by mass, was formulated by Joseph Proust in 1799.
- **Chemical reaction**: A process in which one or more substances are converted into one or more new substances with different properties. The term was first used by Antoine Lavoisier in 1789, who also established the law of conservation of mass, which states that the total mass of the reactants is equal to the total mass of the products in a chemical reaction.
- **Acid**: A substance that donates protons or hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water, or accepts electron pairs from another substance in a Lewis acid-base reaction. The term was derived from the Latin word acidus, meaning sour, and was first used by Francis Bacon in 1626. The modern definition of acids and bases was given by Johannes Brønsted and Thomas Lowry in 1923, and by Gilbert Lewis in 1923, respectively.
- **Base**: A substance that accepts protons or hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water, or donates electron pairs to another substance in a Lewis acid-base reaction. The term was derived from the Arabic word al-qaliy, meaning alkali, and was first used by Robert Boyle in 1673. The concept of pH, which measures the acidity or basicity of a solution, was introduced by Søren Sørensen in 1909.
- **Salt**: A compound formed by the neutralization of an acid and a base, or by the replacement of a hydrogen atom in an acid by a metal or a positive ion. The term was derived from the Latin word sal, meaning salt, and was first used by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century AD. The most common salt is sodium chloride (NaCl), also known as table salt, which is essential for life.
- **Oxidation**: A chemical reaction in which a substance loses electrons or increases its oxidation state, or the gain of oxygen by a substance. The term was derived from the Latin word oxidare, meaning to combine with oxygen, and was first used by Antoine Lavoisier in 1777. The concept of oxidation and reduction, which are complementary processes, was developed by Georg Stahl in the 18th century, and by Benjamin Franklin and Antoine Lavoisier in the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively.
- **Reduction**: A chemical reaction in which a substance gains electrons or decreases its oxidation state, or the loss of oxygen by a substance. The term was derived from the Latin word reducere, meaning to bring back, and was first used by Humphry Davy in 1812. The concept of oxidation and reduction, which are complementary processes, was developed by Georg Stahl in the 18th century, and by Benjamin Franklin and Antoine Lavoisier in the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively.
- **Catalyst**: A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed or changed by it. The term was coined by Berzelius in 1835, who also discovered several catalysts, such as platinum and enzymes. The concept of catalysis, which is the acceleration of a chemical reaction by a catalyst, was first proposed by Elizabeth Fulhame in 1794, and by Michael Faraday in 1834, respectively.
- **Equilibrium**: A state in which the forward and reverse rates of a chemical reaction are equal, or the balance of opposing forces or influences. The term was derived from the Latin word aequilibrium, meaning equal balance, and was first used by Isaac Newton in 1687. The concept of chemical equilibrium, which is the state in which the concentrations of the reactants and products do not change with time, was developed by Claude Berthollet in 1803, and by Cato Guldberg and Peter Waage in 1864, respectively.
- **Mole**: The amount of substance that contains as many elementary entities (such as atoms, molecules, ions, or electrons) as there are atoms in 12 grams of carbon-12. The term was derived from the Latin word moles, meaning mass, and was first used by Wilhelm Ostwald in 1896. The concept of the mole, which is one of the seven base units of the International System of Units (SI), was introduced by Amedeo Avogadro in 1811, and by Stanislao Cannizzaro in 1858, respectively.
- **Molar mass**: The mass of one mole of a substance, expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). The term was coined by Wilhelm Ostwald in 1896. The concept of molar mass, which is the ratio of the mass of a substance to the amount of substance, was derived from the law of conservation of mass and the definition of the mole.
- **Valence**: The number of chemical bonds that an atom can form with other atoms, or the number of electrons that an atom can gain, lose, or share to achieve a stable configuration. The term was derived from the Latin word valentia, meaning strength, and was first used by Edward Frankland in 1852. The concept of valence, which is related to the periodicity of the elements, was developed by August Kekulé in 1858, and by Linus Pauling in 1932, respectively.
- **Orbital**: A region of space around the nucleus of an atom where an electron is most likely to be found, or a mathematical function that describes the wave-like behavior of an electron in an atom. The term was coined by Robert Mulliken in 1932. The concept of orbitals, which is based on the quantum theory of atoms, was developed by Niels Bohr in 1913, and by Erwin Schrödinger in 1926, respectively.
- **Bond**: A force of attraction that holds two atoms together in a molecule, or a pair of electrons that are shared, transferred, or exchanged between two atoms. The term was derived from the Old English word bænd, meaning band, and was first used by Humphry Davy in 1813. The concept of bonds, which is related to the valence of atoms, was developed by Gilbert Lewis in 1916, and by Linus Pauling in 1939, respectively.
- **Ion**: An atom or a molecule that has a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons. The term was derived from the Greek word ion, meaning going, and was first used by Michael Faraday in 1834. The concept of ions, which is related to the conductivity of solutions, was developed by Svante Arrhenius in 1884, and by Wilhelm Ostwald in 1888, respectively.
- **Isotope**: One of two or more forms of an element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, and thus different atomic masses. The term was coined by Frederick Soddy in 1913. The concept of isotopes, which is related to the stability and radioactivity of nuclei, was discovered by J. J. Thomson in 1910, and by Francis Aston in 1919, respectively.
- **Organic chemistry**: The branch of chemistry that deals with the structure, properties, and reactions of compounds that contain carbon. The term was derived from the Greek word organikos, meaning of or pertaining to an organ, and was first used by Jean-Baptiste Dumas in 1834. The concept of organic chemistry, which is based on the vitalism theory that organic compounds can only be produced by living organisms, was challenged by Friedrich Wöhler in 1828, who synthesized urea from inorganic precursors..
Source: Conversation with Bing, 21/01/2024
(1) Chemistry Vocabulary - Definitions of Chemistry Terms - ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/chemistry-vocabulary-terms-you-should-know-604345.
(2) Glossary of chemistry terms - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_chemistry_terms.
(3) Famous Scientists Who Contributed to Chemistry - ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/pictures-of-famous-chemists-4071313.
(4) Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/laboratory-research-royalty-free-image/496442732.
Look up words in this online dictionary. This is a list of important chemistry vocabulary terms and their definitions.
