Properties of Matter Vocab

alloy

a solid, homogeneous mixture of 2 or more metals

boiling point

the temperature at which a liquid becomes a gas below the surface; the temperature at which vapor pressure equals atmospheric pressure

chemical change

a change that occurs when a substance changes composition by forming one or more new substances

chemical properties

the way a substance reacts with others to form new substances with different properties

chemistry

the study of matter and how it changes

compound

a substance made of atoms of more than one element bound together

condensation

the change of a substance from a gas to a liquid

deliquescent

a term describing a substance that removes sufficient water from the air to form a solution

density

the mass per unit volume of a substance

element

a substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler substance

evaporation

the change of a substance from a liquid to a gas

homogeneous mixture

a mixture that is completely uniform in composition; its components are not distinguishable

heterogeneous mixture

a mixture that is not uniform in composition; its components are readily distinguishable

immiscible

describes two or more liquids that do not mix into each other

length

the straight-line distance between any two points

mass

a measure of the quantity of matter in an object

melting point

the temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid

miscible

describes two or more liquids that are able to dissolve into each other in various proportions

phase

a state of matter: solid, liquid, gas, or plasma

physical change

a change that occurs in the physical form or properties of a substance that occurs without a change in composition

physical properties

a characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing the composition of the substance

quantitative measurement

a measurement involving numbers

qualitative measurement

a measurement not involving numbers

reactivity

the ability of a substance to combine chemically with another substance

solute

the substance that dissolves in a solution

solution

a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances uniformly spread throughout a single phase

solvent

the substance that dissolves the solute to make a solution

sublimation

the change of a substance from a solid to a gas

viscosity

the resistance of a fluid to flow

volume

a measure of space, such as the capacity of a container

weight

the force with which gravity pulls on a quantity of matter