Glossary - Chemistry - page 322

Nonelectrolyte: A substance that
dissolves in water to produce a
solution that does not conduct
electricity.
Nonmetal: An element that is a
poor conductor of heat and
electricity, which will tend to
form a negative ion when
forming an ion.
Non-polar covalent bond: A bond
formed when atoms share one
or more pairs of electrons
relatively equally.
Non-polar molecule: A molecule
that either has symmetrical
molecular geometry, or it only
has non-polar covalent bonds,
or both.
Nuclear charge: The charge on the
nucleus of an atom, which is
equal to the number of protons
the nucleus contains.
Orbital: A space that can be
occupied by up to two electrons.
Orbital notation: A notation that
displays information about the
electrons of an atom and the
orbits they occupy.
Organic compound: A compound
containing carbon.
Oxidation: When a substance loses
electrons, or appears to lose
electrons, as its oxidation
number appears to increase
algebraically.

Oxidation number: A number
indicating the charge, or the
apparent charge, of an atom.
Oxidizing agent: The substance
that appears to cause an
oxidation to occur, by accepting
or appearing to accept
electrons.
Period: A horizontal row on the
periodic table.
Physical change: A change that
does not result in the
production of a new substance.
(Breaking glass is an example of
a physical change.)
Physical property: A property of a
substance that is readily
observable or easy to measure,
such as color, luster, and mass.
Polar covalent bond: A bond
formed when atoms share one
or more pairs of electrons, but
one atom attracts the electrons
more strongly, resulting in
unequal sharing.
Polar molecule: A molecule with a
positive and negative side, as a
result of its bonds and
geometry.
Polyatomic ion: Two or more
atoms covalently bonded
together that obtain a net
charge. (Some examples include
hydroxide [OH - ] and nitrate
[NO 3 - ] ions.)