Chemical Reaction
Compound
(or chemical compound)
Atom
Element
Reactant
Product
A substance made of 2 or more different elements
chemically bonded together. Once bonded together,
they no longer act like the elements that made them.
Examples: Carbon dioxide, water, vinegar, sodium
chloride (salt), sugar
Non-examples: Hydrogen (element), salt water
(mixture), steel (alloy)
A conversion of one chemical or chemicals to other
chemicals. The conversion involves exchanges of
electrons and switching of chemical partners, but the
elements are the same before and after.
Examples: Vinegar and Baking soda, metal and acid,
digestion, burning
Non-examples: Melting, boiling, breaking, nuclear
explosion
A group of atoms that have the same number of
protons. All examples are found on the Periodic
Table.
Examples: Hydrogen, helium, carbon, iron, gold,
uranium, sulfur, silver, lead, cobalt
Non-examples: salt (compound), salsa (mixture),
bronze (alloy)
A nucleus surrounded by electrons. The smallest
piece of an element that cannot be identified as that
element if broken down any further.
Examples: One particle of iron, one particle of carbon,
one particle of uranium
Non-examples: sugar (compound), ketchup (mixture),
one gram of gold (trillions and trillions of atoms)
gold
iron
The chemicals that are the result of a chemical
reaction. These chemicals are different than the
reactants that caused the reaction.
Examples: carbon dioxide made by mixing vinegar
and baking soda, smoke from a fire, H2O in the
reaction below
Non-examples: vinegar and baking soda, metal and
acid, H2 and O2 in the reaction below
The initial substances in a chemical reaction. These
chemicals will react and turn into products.
Examples: vinegar and baking soda, metal and acid,
HCl and NaOH in the reaction below
Non-examples: carbon dioxide made by mixing
vinegar and baking soda, smoke from a fire, NaCl and
H2O in the reaction below
2H2 + O2 Æ 2H2O
HCl + NaOH Æ NaCl + H2O