Structure and Properties of Matter
This unit will take everything you thought you knew about atomic theory and turn it on its head. You’ll learn about the modern model of the atom and the history that preceded it, as well as the structure and interactions of molecules. Here are some terms you should know:
- emission spectrum
- a series of bright lines of light produced or emitted by a gas that has been excited by, for example, heat or electricity
- absorption spectrum
- a series of dark lines on a continuous spectrum produced by placing a gas between the continuous spectrum source and the observer
- quantum
- a small, discrete, indivisible quantity
- photon
- a quantum of light energy
- ground state
- the lowest possible energy state of an atom
- excited
- describes an atom in which an electron has moved to a higher energy level by absorbing a photon
- polar bond
- a bond in which there is unequal sharing of electrons
- nonpolar bond
- a bond in which there is equal sharing of electrons
- ionic bond
- extremely polar bond where electrons are transferred
- polar molecule
- a molecule containing asymmetrical polar bonds that do not cancel out
- nonpolar molecule
- a molecule containing symmetrical polar bonds that cancel out