AP CHEMISTRY EXAM REVIEW

AP CHEMISTRY EXAM REVIEW

• wavelength: The distance between crests of waves, such as those of the electromagnetic

spectrum.

2. frequency: the number of wave cycles to pass a given point per unit of time

3. Hertz: The SI unit of cycles per second

• Electromagnetic radiation: radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric

and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge

5. spectrum: colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism

• atomic emission spectrum: the pattern formed when light passes through a prism or

diffraction grating to separate it into the different frequencies of light it contains

7. ground state: the lowest energy state of an atom

8. Photons: light quanta

• Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: it is impossible to know exactly both the velocity and

the position of a particle at the same time

• Periodic Law: when the elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number, there

is a periodic repetition of their physical and chemical properties

• Metals: have a shiny or metallic luster, good conductors of heat and electricity
• Nonmetals: elements that are usually dull in appearance, poor conductors of heat and

electricity, gases at room temperature

• Metalloid: an element that has some characteristics of metals and some characteristics of

nonmetals

• Alkali Metals: Group 1, 1 electron in outer level, very reactive, soft, silver, shiny, low

density; Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Cesium, Francium

• Alkali Earth Metals: Group 2, 2 electron in the outer energy level, very reactive but less

reactive than alkali metals, silver, higher densities than alkali metals; Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium, Radium

16. Halogens: a nonmetal in group 7A of the periodic table

• Noble gases: one of the elements of group 18 of the periodic table(helium, neon,argon,

krypton, xenon, and radon); noble gases are unreactive

• Representative Elements: groups of elements in the modern periodic table that are

designated with an A (1a through 8a) and possess a wide range of chemical and physical properties

19. Transition Metal: An Element in group 3 through 12 of the periodic table

• Inner Transition Metal: an element in the lanthanide or actinide series; the highest

occupied s sublevel and nearby f sublevel of its atoms generally contain electrons; also called 1 / 2

inner transition element

• Atomic Radius: one-half the distance between the nuclei of two atoms of the same

element when the atoms are joined

22. Cation: a positively charged ion

23. Anion: a negatively charged ion

• ionization energy: the energy required to remove one electron from a neutral atom of an

element

• Electronegativity: The ability of an atom to attract electrons when the atom is in a

compound

• Valence Electrons: the electrons that are in the highest energy level of an atom and that are

involved in chemical reactions

• Octet Rule: States that atoms lose, gain or share electrons in order to acquire a full set of

eight valence electrons

• Halide Ions: the ions that are produced when atoms of chlorine and other halogens gain

electrons

• Ionic Bonds: electrostatic forces that hold ions together in ionic compounds

30. Chemical Formula: shows the elements in the compound and the ratio of atoms

31. Formula Unit: the lowest whole-number ratio of ions in an ionic compound

• Coordination Number: the number of ions of opposite charge that surround each ion in a

crystal

• Metallic bonds: consist of the attraction of the free-floating valence electrons for the

positively charged metal ions

• Alloys: mixtures composed of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal
• Covalent Bond: a bond formed when atoms share one or more pairs of elec- trons

36. Molecule: two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds

37. Diatomic Molecule: a molecule consisting of two atoms

38. molecular compound: a compound composed of molecules

39. molecular formula: a chemical formula of a molecular compound

• single covalent bond: two atoms held together by sharing a pair of electrons
• structural formula: represents the covalent bonds by dashes and shows the arrangement of

covalently bonded atoms

42. mass: the amount of matter in an object

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