Basic Principles of Chemistry and Body Processes

Flashcards covering basic principles of chemistry, including matter, energy, inorganic and organic compounds, water properties, acids, bases, pH, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, as they apply to body processes.

Element

A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary chemical methods.

Atom

The smallest building block of matter that still keeps the properties of an element.

Matter

Anything that has mass and occupies space.

Weight

Mass plus the effects of gravity.

Solid (state of matter)

A state of matter with a definite shape and volume.

Liquid (state of matter)

A state of matter with a changeable shape but definite volume.

Gas (state of matter)

A state of matter with a changeable shape and volume.

Molecule

A general term for two or more atoms bonded together.

Compound

A specific molecule that has two or more different kinds of atoms bonded together.

Biochemistry

The study of chemical composition and reactions of living matter.

Inorganic Compounds

Chemical compounds that do not contain carbon, such as water, salts, acids, and bases.

Organic Compounds

Chemical compounds that contain carbon, are usually large, and are covalently bonded, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Covalently Bonded

A bond created by electron sharing between atoms.

Water

The most abundant inorganic compound in living cells (60%-80% volume) and essential for life due to its unique properties.

High Heat Capacity (of water)

Water's ability to absorb and release heat with little temperature change, preventing sudden shifts in body temperature.

High Heat of Vaporization (of water)

Water's property that evaporation requires large amounts of heat, serving as a useful cooling mechanism.

Polar Solvent Properties (of water)

Water's ability to dissolve and dissociate ionic substances, acting as the body's major transport medium.

Reactivity (of water)

Water's role as a necessary part of hydrolysis and dehydration synthesis reactions.

Cushioning (of water)

Water's ability to protect organs from physical trauma, such as cerebrospinal fluid cushioning the nervous system.

Salts

Ionic compounds that dissociate into ions in water and are crucial for body functions and homeostasis.

Electrolytes

Ions that conduct electrical currents in solution, formed when salts dissociate in water.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of stable internal conditions, including vital ionic balance, within the body.

Acids

Electrolytes that ionize and dissociate in water, acting as proton donors by releasing hydrogen ions (H+).

Bases

Electrolytes that ionize and dissociate in water, acting as proton acceptors by taking up hydrogen ions (H+).

pH Scale

A scale that measures the relative free hydrogen ion concentration ([H+]) of a solution.

Acidic Solution

A solution with a pH between 0 and 6.99, indicating a high concentration of hydrogen ions.

Neutral Solution

A solution with a pH of 7, indicating equal numbers of hydrogen and hydroxide ions.

Alkaline (Basic) Solution

A solution with a pH between 7.01 and 14, indicating a low concentration of hydrogen ions.

Acidosis

A condition characterized by an increase in hydrogen ions and a decrease in pH (acidic pH).

Alkalosis

A condition characterized by a decrease in hydrogen ions and an increase in pH (alkaline pH).

Buffers

Substances that resist abrupt or large swings in pH, helping to maintain acid-base homeostasis.

Polymer

A chain of similar repeating units called monomers.

Monomer

The building blocks that make up polymers.

Dehydration Synthesis

A reaction process by which polymers are synthesized, typically involving the removal of water.

Hydrolysis Reactions

A reaction process by which polymers are broken down, typically involving the addition of water.

Carbohydrates

Organic compounds composed of sugars and starches, containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (2:1 H:O ratio).

Monosaccharides

Simple sugars containing three to seven carbon atoms, which are the monomers of carbohydrates (e.g., glucose).

Disaccharides

Double sugars, formed by the dehydration synthesis of two monosaccharides, which are too large to pass through cell membranes (e.g., sucrose, lactose).

Polysaccharides

Complex carbohydrates consisting of many monosaccharide units, formed by dehydration synthesis (e.g., starch, glycogen).

Glucose

An important hexose sugar and a crucial monosaccharide known as blood sugar, serving as a major source of cellular fuel.

Starch

A polysaccharide that serves as the carbohydrate storage form used by plants.

Glycogen

A polysaccharide that serves as the carbohydrate storage form used by animals.

Lipids

Organic compounds that are insoluble in water, containing C, H, O (with less O than carbohydrates), and sometimes P; main types include triglycerides, phospholipids, steroids, and prostaglandins.

Triglycerides

Lipids composed of three fatty acids bonded to a glycerol molecule, functioning primarily in energy storage, insulation, and protection.

Saturated Fatty Acids

Fatty acids found in solid animal fats (e.g., butter).

Unsaturated Fatty Acids

Fatty acids found in plant oils (e.g., olive oil) which are considered 'heart healthy'.

Phospholipids

Modified triglycerides composed of a glycerol, two fatty acids, and a phosphorus-containing group, crucial for cell membrane structure due to their polar heads and nonpolar tails.

Steroids

A class of lipids including cholesterol, vitamin D, steroid hormones, and bile salts, with cholesterol being the most important for cell membrane structure and as a building block for other steroids.

Cholesterol

The most important steroid, serving as a building block for vitamin D synthesis, steroid hormones, and bile salts, and a critical component of cell plasma membrane structure.

Prostaglandins

A type of eicosanoid derived from fatty acids, involved in blood clotting, control of blood pressure, inflammation, and labor contractions.

Lipoproteins

Complexes that transport fats in the blood.

Proteins

The basic structural material of the body, playing vital roles in cell function and exhibiting the most varied functions of any molecules in the body.

Amino Acids

The building blocks (monomers) of proteins.

Fibrous Proteins

Strandlike, water-insoluble, and stable structural proteins (e.g., keratin, collagen) that provide mechanical support and tensile strength.

Globular Proteins

Compact, spherical, water-soluble, and environmentally sensitive functional proteins (e.g., antibodies, hormones, enzymes) with specific active sites.

Protein Denaturation

The process where globular proteins unfold and lose their three-dimensional shape, often caused by changes in pH or temperature, which can be reversible or irreversible if extreme.

Enzymes

Globular proteins that act as biological catalysts, regulating and increasing the speed of chemical reactions by lowering activation energy without being consumed in the process.

Biological Catalysts

Substances that regulate and increase the speed of chemical reactions in living systems without getting used up, a role primarily performed by enzymes.

Substrate (Enzymes)

The specific molecule upon which an enzyme acts, often described by the 'lock and key' model.

Activation Energy (Enzymes)

The energy needed to initiate a chemical reaction, which enzymes lower to allow reactions to proceed quickly at body temperatures.

Enzyme-Substrate Complex

The temporary structure formed when a substrate binds to an enzyme's active site during an enzymatic reaction.

Nucleic Acids

The largest molecules in the body, composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus, including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

A double-stranded helical molecule found in the cell nucleus that holds the genetic blueprint for protein synthesis and replicates before cell division.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

A single-stranded linear molecule active mostly outside the nucleus, which links DNA to protein synthesis, containing ribose sugar and uracil instead of thymine.

Nucleotides (DNA/RNA)

The building blocks of DNA and RNA, each containing a sugar (deoxyribose or ribose), a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases.

Double Helix

The structural form of DNA, characterized by two coiled, complementary strands.

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

One of the three varieties of RNA that carries out DNA orders for protein synthesis by carrying genetic information from DNA to ribosomes.

Transfer RNA (tRNA)

One of the three varieties of RNA that carries out DNA orders for protein synthesis by ferrying amino acids to the ribosome during protein assembly.

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

One of the three varieties of RNA that carries out DNA orders for protein synthesis, forming part of the ribosomes where proteins are synthesized.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

The chemical energy released from glucose breakdown, immediately useable by all body cells to directly power chemical reactions; it is an adenine-containing RNA nucleotide with two additional phosphate groups.