amphiprotic : When something is both an acid and a base. Like amino acids,
for example.
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amphoteric : When something is both an acid and a base. Sounds familiar,
huh?
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anode : The electrode where oxidation occurs. In other words, this is where
electrons are lost by a substance.
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aqueous : dissolved in water
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atomic mass unit (a.m.u.) : This is the smallest unit of mass we use in
chemistry, and is equivalent to 1/12 the mass of carbon-12. To all intents and
purposes, protons and neutrons weigh 1 a.m.u.
•
atomic radius : This is one half the distance between two bonded nuclei.
Why don't we just measure the distance from the nucleus to the outside of the
atom - after all, isn't that the same thing as a radius? It is, but atoms are also
(theoretically) infinitely large (due to quantum mechanics), making this
impossible to measure.
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atomic solid : A solid where there's a bunch of atoms in the lattice. This is
different from an ionic solid, where ions are the things that are sticking
together.
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Aufbau principle : When you add protons to the nucleus to build up the
elements, electrons are added into orbitals.
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Avogadro's Law : If you've got two gases under the same conditions of
temperature, pressure, and volume, they've got the same number of particles
(atoms or molecules). This law only works for ideal gases, none of which
actually exist.
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base anhydride : An oxide that forms a base when water is added. CaO is an
example, turning into calcium hydroxide in water.
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base : A compound that gives off OH- ions in water. They are slippery and
bitter and have a pH greater than 7.
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battery : This is when a bunch of voltaic cells are stuck together.
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