DEFINITION

No. Term Definition

1 Melting point Temperature at which the substance changes from solid state into a liquid
state at a given pressure.

2 Nucleon number Total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

3 Isotope Atoms of the same element with the same proton number/number of protons
but different nucleon number/ number of neutrons.

4 Valence electron(s) Electrons at the outermost shell of an atom.

5 Empirical formula The chemical formula that shows the simplest whole number ratio of atoms
of each element in the compound.

6 Molecular formula The chemical formula that shows the actual number of atoms of each
element in the compound.

7 Group A vertical column of elements in the Periodic Table.

8 Period A horizontal row of elements across the Periodic Table.

9 Electronegativity The ability of an atom to accept electrons and form negatively charged ions.

10 Catalyst A substance which alters the rate of a chemical reaction while it remains
chemically unchanged at the end of the reaction.

11 Ionic bond
(electrovalent bond)
A chemical bond formed through transfer of valence electrons from metal
atom to non-metal atom.

12 Covalent bond A chemical bond formed when two non-metal atoms share pairs of valence
electrons.

13 Electrolyte A chemical substance which conducts electricity in molten state or aqueous
solution and undergoes chemical changes.

14 Electrolysis A process whereby a compound is decomposed into its constituent elements
when an electric current passes through an electrolyte.

15 Anode The electrode that is connected to the positive terminal of the battery in an
electrolytic cell.

16 Cathode The electrode that is connected to the negative terminal of the battery in an
electrolytic cell.

17 Voltaic cell/ galvanic
cell/ chemical cell
A chemical cell consisting of two different metals immersed in an electrolyte
and produces electric current.
18 Acid An acid is a chemical compound that ionises(dissolves) in water to form
hydrogen ions.

19 Base A base is a chemical compound that reacts with an acid to produce salt and
water.
20 Alkali Alkali is a chemical compound that ionises in water to form hydroxide ions.

21 Strong acid An acid which ionises completely in water to produce high concentration of
hydrogen ions.

22 Weak acid An acid which ionises partially in water to produce low concentration of
hydrogen ions.

23 Strong alkali An alkali which ionises completely in water to produce high concentration of
hydroxide ions

24 Weak alkali An alkali which ionises partially in water to produce low concentration of
hydroxide ions

25 Neutralisation A reaction between an acid and a base to produce salt and water only.

26 Salt An ionic compound formed when the hydrogen ion, H
+
from an acid is
replaced by a metal ion or an ammonium ion, NH
4
+
.

27 Soluble salt A salt that is soluble in water at room temperature.

28 Insoluble salt A salt that is insoluble in water at room temperature.

29 Crystallisation A technique used to obtain salt crystals from its saturated solution.

30 Double
decomposition
reaction
A reaction to prepare an insoluble salt by mixing two different aqueous
solutions containing the ions of the insoluble salt.
31 Alloy An alloy is a mixture of two or more elements with a certain fixed
composition in which the major component is a metal.

32 Polymer A polymer is a large molecule made up of many monomers which are joined
together by covalent bonds

33 Composite material A composite material is a structural material which is formed by combining
two or more different substances such as metal, alloys, glass, ceramics and
polymers.

34 Hydrocarbon Compounds that consists of hydrogen and carbon elements ONLY.

35 Esterification A chemical reaction between an alcohol and carboxylic acid in the presence
of concentrated sulphuric acid to produce an ester and water.

36 Vulcanisation Vulcanisation is a process whereby natural rubber is changed to vulcanised
rubber by adding sulphur.

37 Heat of precipitation

The heat released when one mole of a precipitate is formed from their ions in
aqueous solution under standard condition.

38 Heat of displacement

The heat released when one mole of a metal is displaced from its salt solution
by a more electropositive metal under standard condition.

39 Heat of neutralisation

The heat released when one mole of water is formed from the reaction
between an acid and an alkali under standard condition.

40 Heat of combustion

The heat released when one mole of a substance is completely burnt in
oxygen under standard condition.