BIOL 2001C — Fluids, Electrolytes & Organic Chemistry Study Flashcards

Vocabulary review flashcards for BIOL 2001C covering water functions, body fluid compartments, electrolyte distribution, tonicity, organic molecules, protein structures, nucleic acids, and ATP.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that breaks larger molecules apart by adding water ($H_2O \rightarrow OH + H$).

Dehydration synthesis

A chemical reaction that builds larger molecules by removing water ($OH + H \rightarrow H_2O$) to form covalent bonds.

Intracellular fluid (ICF)

Fluid inside cells (cytosol), comprising most body water, containing high concentration of $K^+$ and low $Na^+$, with proteins as major anions.

Extracellular fluid (ECF)

Fluid outside cells consisting of interstitial fluid and blood plasma, characterized by high $Na^+$, low $K^+$, and major anions $Cl^-$ and $HCO_3^-$.

Electrolyte Distribution

The distribution of cations and anions across body compartments, where ECF has high $Na^+$ and $Cl^- + HCO_3^-$ and ICF has high $K^+$ and proteins.

Diffusion

Spontaneous net movement of both solute and solvent from high concentration to low concentration.

Osmosis

Movement of solvent, usually water, through a selectively permeable membrane from lower solute concentration to higher solute concentration.

Hypertonic solution

A solution with a higher solute concentration than the comparison solution, causing water to leave an animal cell and shrivel.

Hypotonic solution

A solution with a lower solute concentration than the comparison solution, causing water to enter an animal cell, making it swell and potentially lyse.

Isotonic solution

A solution with an equal solute concentration compared to another solution, resulting in no major net water shift.

Dehydration

Loss of water without proportional electrolyte loss, causing extracellular fluid to become more concentrated and drawing water out of cells.

Overhydration

Addition of water without electrolytes (water toxicosis), causing extracellular fluid to become more dilute and moving water into cells.

Buffer

A chemical substance that minimizes changes in pH by accepting $H^+$ ions when present in excess or donating $H^+$ ions when deficient.

Disaccharides

Carbohydrates formed by joining two monosaccharides through a glycosidic linkage, including maltose (glucose + glucose), lactose (galactose + glucose), and sucrose (glucose + fructose).

Glycogen

A highly branched storage polysaccharide in animals made of glucose, stored mainly in the liver and muscle.

Cellulose

A plant cell wall polysaccharide with $\beta\text{-1,4}$ glycosidic bonds that humans cannot digest, acting as dietary fiber to help form stool.

Isomers

Molecules with the same chemical formula but different structural arrangements or shapes, resulting in different functional properties.

Glucagon

A hormone produced by $\text{α}$ cells of pancreatic islets that raises blood glucose.

Insulin

A hormone produced by $\text{β}$ cells of pancreatic islets that lowers blood glucose.

Saturated fat

A lipid with all single carbon bonds and maximum hydrogen atoms, creating straight chains that pack tightly and tend to be solid at room temperature.

Unsaturated fat

A lipid containing at least one $C=C$ double bond that creates a kink, preventing tight packing and keeping it liquid at room temperature.

Triglyceride

A lipid structure composed of one glycerol molecule bonded to three fatty acid chains, formed by dehydration synthesis.

Phospholipid

A lipid composed of glycerol, two fatty acids, and a phosphate group, featuring a polar hydrophilic head and nonpolar hydrophobic tails that form the cell membrane bilayer.

Steroids

Cyclic organic molecules derived from cholesterol, including cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone.

Levels of Protein Structure

The structural levels of proteins: Primary (amino acid sequence), Secondary (hydrogen bonds in backbone forming $\text{α-helix}$ or $\text{β-pleated sheet}$), Tertiary (interactions between R groups), and Quaternary (multiple tertiary subunits joined).

Denaturation

The alteration or loss of a protein's normal secondary, tertiary, and/or quaternary structure caused by temperature, pH, organic solvents, or salt solutions.

Enzymes

Reusable protein catalysts that speed up chemical reactions to the speed of life by lowering activation energy.

Purines

Double-ring nitrogenous bases consisting of Adenine (A) and Guanine (G).

Pyrimidines

Single-ring nitrogenous bases consisting of Cytosine (C), Thymine (T), and Uracil (U).

DNA vs. RNA

DNA is double-stranded with deoxyribose sugar and bases A, T, C, G (A pairs T); RNA is single-stranded with ribose sugar and bases A, U, C, G (U replaces T).

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

An energy molecule consisting of adenine, ribose, and three negatively charged phosphate groups that releases usable energy via the reaction $ATP \rightarrow ADP + P + \text{energy}$.