Chemistry Definitions
By: Adriene Miller
Acid
a chemical substance that neutralizes alkalis, dissolves some metals, and turns litmus red; typically, a corrosive or sour-tasting liquid of this kind
Base
a substance capable of reacting with an acid to form a salt and water, or (more broadly) of accepting or neutralizing hydrogen ions
Colligative
of or relating to the binding together of molecules
Colloid
a homogeneous, noncrystalline substance consisting of large molecules or ultramicroscopic particles of one substance dispersed through a second substance. Colloids include gels, sols, and emulsions; the particles do not settle and cannot be separated out by ordinary filtering or centrifuging like those in a suspension
Concentration
the relative amount of a given substance contained within a solution or in a particular volume of space; the amount of solute per unit volume of solution
Dilation
the action of making a liquid more dilute
Immiscible
(of liquids) not forming a homogeneous mixture when added together.
Miscible
(of liquids) forming a homogeneous mixture when added together.
Molarity
the number of moles of solute per liter of solution.
Osmosis
a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one, thus equalizing the concentrations on each side of the membrane.
Precipitation
the action or process of precipitating a substance from a solution
Saturation
holding as much water or moisture as can be absorbed; thoroughly soaked.
(of an organic molecule) containing the greatest possible number of hydrogen atoms, and so having no carbon–carbon double or triple bonds
Soluable
(of a substance) able to be dissolved, especially in water.
(of a problem) able to be solved.
Solute
the minor component in a solution, dissolved in the solvent.
Solution
a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation
Solvent
able to dissolve other substances.
Supersaturated
increase the concentration of (a solution) beyond saturation point
Suspension
a mixture in which particles are dispersed throughout the bulk of a fluid
Unsaturated
(of organic molecules) having carbon–carbon double or triple bonds and therefore not containing the greatest possible number of hydrogen atoms for the number of carbons