Some Useful English Synonyms And Expressions For
Describing Chemical Phenomena
INCREASE (Reactivity increases moving down group I)
DECREASE (Melting points decrease moving up group 7)
A FAST REACTION = A VIGOROUS REACTION (The most vigorous reaction between two
elements is between Caesium and fluorine)
…ER THAN (a chloride ion is bigger than a chlorine atom)
CLOSER = NEARER (The valence electrons of fluorine are closer to the nucleus than those
of oxygen)
FARTHER = FURTHER (The carbon atoms in a C-C single bond are farther apart than in a
C=C double bond
BECAUSE = AS = SINCE (Butane has a higher boiling point than methane since it has more
mass and electrons which increase Van der Waal’s interactions.
BECAUSE OF = DUE TO = CAUSED BY (Reaction rates increase with temperature due to
two important factors)
TO INFLUENCE = TO AFFECT (A change of pressure does not affect equilibrium constants)
A RESULT = AN EFFECT (One result of increasing alkane chain length is to reduce the
acidity of carboxylic acids)
THE …ER ………………………..THE …ER………..
(e.g. The smaller the atomic radius, the greater the electronegativity)
IN PCl5 THE AXIAL - EQUATORIAL BOND ANGLE IS 90°, THE EQUATORIAL EQUATORIAL BOND ANGLE IS 120°
A PLOT OF … AGAINST … (A plot of temperature against time)
EQUAL TO = AS …AS (chlorine is not as electronegative as fluorine)
THE SAME AS = SIMILAR TO (Fluorine shows the same type of bonding as iodine)
DIFFERENT FROM (A Lewis acid can be different from a Brønsted acid)