Worksheet 3.

1
Chapter 3: Periodicity – glossary
Alkali An alkali is a base which is soluble in water. Examples of alkalis include Group 1 metal
hydroxides, Group 2 hydroxides and aqueous solution of ammonia, and amines.
Alkali metals The group of metals in Group 1. They react with water to produce hydrogen gas
and form strongly alkaline solutions.
Alkaline earth metals The group of metals in Group 2. They react with water to produce
hydrogen gas and a suspension of their hydroxide.
Alkaline solution An alkaline solution is an aqueous solution that has an excess of hydroxide
ions and a pH >7.
Allotropy The ability of an element to exist in different crystalline forms or allotropes. Carbon,
for example, exists in the allotropic forms: graphite, diamond and fullerene.
Amphoteric A substance which can behave both as an acid and a base, e.g. it can accept and
donate protons.
Amphoteric oxide An oxide of a metal that will react and dissolve in a solution of an acid and a
solution of a strong base (alkali). They can react as both acidic and basic oxides. Aluminium oxide
is an example.
Aqua-ions A complex ion with water molecules acting as ligands. Transition metals and
aluminium form aqua-ions in aqueous solutions.
Atomicity The number of atoms in a molecule.
Atomic radius Half the distance of the closest approach of atoms in the crystal or molecule of a
chemical element (for a particular allotrope).
Base A substance which neutralizes an acid to produce a salt and water as the only products.
Common bases are aqueous ammonia, amines, carbonate ions and the oxides and hydroxides of
metals. A Brønsted–Lowry base is a proton acceptor; a Lewis base is an electron pair donor.
Basic oxide An ionic oxide, usually an oxide of a metal, that reacts with acids to form salts and
water. Soluble basic oxides react with water to form alkaline or basic solutions.
Bidentate ligand A ligand able to form two dative covalent (coordinate) bonds with a central
metal atom or ion.
Bleach A substance used to decolourize materials by a process of oxidation or reduction.
Charge density (of an ion) The ratio of the charge of an ion to its volume. The higher the charge
density of a positive ion, the greater its polarizing power. The higher charge density of a negative
ion the more difficult it is to be polarized.

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Complex ion A chemical species typically consisting of a central ion, usually a transition metal
ion, surrounded by a fixed number of ligands which form dative covalent (coordinate) bonds with
the central metal ion.
Coordination number The number of ligands surrounding a central metal ion, or the number of
nearest neighbours an atom, molecule or ion has in a crystal structure.
Covalent radius of atom This is half of the inter-nuclear distance between two covalently
bonded atoms of the same element.
Dative covalent (Coordinate) bond A dative covalent bond is formed when one of the atoms
supplies both electrons of the shared pair in a covalent bond.
d-block metals A group of transition metals located between groups 2 and 3 of the Periodic
Table. The majority of the d block metals have two s electrons and d electrons in the inner shell. Sc
and Zn are d-block metals but are not transition metals.
d-d transition An electronic transition between two d orbitals. These transitions are responsible
for the colours of many transition metal ions.
Degenerate orbitals A group of orbitals with the same energy.
Diatomic molecule Molecules composed of only two atoms, of either the same, X2, or different,
XY, chemical elements.
Dimer A molecule formed by the bonding of two identical monomers. The bonds will be
relatively strong hydrogen bonds or covalent bonds.
Dimerization The linking together of two molecules.
Displacement reaction A redox reaction in which a more reactive element displaces a less
reactive element from a solution of its ions or salt, often in aqueous solutions.
Disproportionation The simultaneous oxidation and reduction of a single element.
d-orbital splitting A splitting of the d orbitals of the transition metal ion caused by the electric
field of the ligand’s lone pairs in a complex ion.
Electrical conductivity A measure of the ability of a substance to conduct an electric current due
to the presence of mobile charged particles – either delocalized electrons in metals or graphite, or
ions in electrolytes.
Electronegativity A measure of the tendency of an atom in a molecule to attract a pair of shared
electrons towards itself. They are commonly measured on the Pauling scale which runs from 0.7 for
the least electronegative element, francium; to 4.0 for the most electronegative atom, fluorine. The
difference in electronegativities of two atoms in a covalent bond gives an indication of the bond’s
polarity.
Group A group is a vertical column of elements in the Periodic Table. The atoms of the elements
in the group all have the same number of electrons in their outer energy level, but a different
number of occupied energy levels.

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Halide ions The halide ions are chloride (Cl–), fluoride (F–) bromide (Br–) and iodide (I–). The
halides are salts that contain a halide ion.
Halogens A group of non-metals in Group 7 of the Periodic Table. They exist as diatomic
molecules in their standard states.
Hydrolysis A chemical reaction involving the reaction of water in which covalent bonds are
broken.
Immiscible liquids Liquids which do not mix (e.g. oil and water).
Ionic radius The radius of an ion in the crystalline form of a compound. Positive ions are smaller
than the corresponding atoms; negative ions are larger.
Ionization energy (first) The minimum energy required to remove one mole of electrons from a
mole of gaseous atoms to form a mole of univalent cations in the gaseous state. It is the enthalpy
change for the reaction: X (g)  X + (g) + e–.
Ligand A molecule or negative ion that donates a pair of electrons to a central metal ion to form a
dative covalent (coordinate) bond. Ligands are Lewis acids.
Ligand exchange/substitution The process where one or more ligands in a complex ion are
replaced, often reversibly, by one another.
Miscible liquids Liquids that mix in all proportions, for example, ethanol and water.
Monodentate ligand A ligand that forms one dative covalent bond to a central metal ion.
Neutral solution An aqueous solution that has a pH of 7. It contains the same concentrations of
H + (aq) and OH– (aq) ions.
Noble gases A group of very unreactive gases found in Group 0 of the Periodic Table. They exist
as single atoms and have a stable s2p6 electron configuration. (Helium is an exception with a 1s2
configuration).
Non-metal Chemical elements that have typically low thermal and electrical conductivities. They
typically form covalent bonds and/or form negative ions (anions) and have acidic oxides.
Oxidation number A number given to indicate the degree of oxidation of an element. Fluorine
always has an oxidation number of –1 in its compounds. Oxygen has an oxidation number of –2 in
its oxides.
Oxide A compound of oxygen with another element, where the oxygen has an oxidation number
of –2.
Oxy acid An acid in which the acidic proton is covalently bonded to an oxygen atom.
p-block element An element where the outer electrons are in the p shell. p-block elements are in
Groups 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 0.
Period A period is a horizontal row of elements in the Periodic Table. Within a Period, the atoms
of the elements have the same number of occupied energy levels but an increasing number of
electrons in the outer energy level.

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Periodicity The regular repetition of chemical and physical properties as you move across and
down the Periodic Table.
Periodic Table A table of the chemical elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number to
show the similar chemical properties of elements with similar electron configurations.
pH pH = –log10 ([H + (aq)]).
Precipitate An insoluble substance produced by a chemical reaction in solution. It occurs when
two soluble salts react to give one soluble and one insoluble salt.
Resistance A measure of a component’s opposition to the flow of an electric current. R
(resistance) = V (potential difference) /I (current in A). It is measured in ohms (Ω).
s-block elements Elements where the outer electrons are in an s-orbital. It contains Groups 1
and 2.
Transition element/metal A set of metals in the Periodic Table, located between Groups 2 and 3,
which have incomplete d orbtital in their atoms or ions. Zn and Sc are not transition elements.
Trend A term used to describe the way in which a chemical or physical property increases or
decreases along a series of elements.
Universal indicator A mixture of indicators whose colour indicates the pH of an aqueous
solution.

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