Introduction to General Chemistry and Macromolecules

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from the chemistry lecture transcript, covering foundational terms in matter, atomic structure, chemical bonding, reactions, water properties, pH balance, and organic macromolecules.

Chemistry

The study of matter, including what it consists of, its properties, and how it changes.

Atom

The smallest unit of matter, composed of subatomic particles including protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Atomic Number

The number of protons contained in the nucleus of an atom, which is unique for each element.

Element

A pure substance composed of atoms of one kind that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary physical means.

Isotopes

Versions of an element that have different numbers of neutrons.

Mass Number

The total number of protons plus neutrons in an atom, which is unique for each isotope.

Atomic Weight

The average of the different atomic masses and proportions of an element's naturally occurring isotopes as listed on the periodic table.

Atomic Mass

The actual mass of a specific atom taking into account the masses of its protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Mole

A specific quantity of a substance that has a weight in grams equal to the atomic weight of the element, representing Avogadro's number.

Inert Elements

Elements that have a full valence outer electron shell, containing eight electrons, making them stable and non-reactive.

Molecule

Any chemical structure consisting of atoms held together by shared electrons.

Compound

A pure chemical substance made up of two or more atoms of different elements bonded together.

Cation

An ion with a positive electrical charge, formed when an atom loses one or more electrons.

Anion

An ion with a negative electrical charge, formed when an atom gains one or more electrons.

Ionic Bond

A chemical bond created by the attraction between positively and negatively charged ions without sharing electrons.

Covalent Bond

A chemical bond formed by the sharing of electrons between participating atoms.

Polar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond in which electrons are shared unequally between atoms, creating a separation of charge across the molecule.

Hydrogen Bond

An electrical attraction between a slightly positive hydrogen atom in one molecule and a slightly negative atom, such as oxygen, in another molecule.

Metabolism

All of the chemical reactions taking place within the human body.

Catabolism

Decomposition reactions that break molecules down into smaller fragments and release energy to power cellular processes.

Anabolism

Synthesis reactions that assemble larger complex molecules from smaller molecules.

Enzyme

A biological catalyst, mostly composed of proteins, that speeds up chemical reactions by lowering the required activation energy.

Solution

A uniform mixture of two or more substances that are dissolved and evenly distributed in a solvent like water.

Solute

The dissolved substance within a solution.

Heat Capacity

The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by $1\,^\circ\text{C}$.

Electrolytes

Soluble inorganic substances whose dissociated ions conduct electricity in solution.

Colloid

A solution containing dispersed proteins or other large molecules that remain distributed throughout the liquid.

Suspension

A liquid mixture containing large particles that will settle and sink to the bottom if left undisturbed.

pH

The negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution measured in moles per liter.

Acidosis

A physiological condition resulting from a significant drop in blood pH below the normal range.

Alkalosis

A physiological condition resulting from a significant increase in blood pH above the normal range.

Carbohydrates

Organic macromolecules containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a fixed ratio of $1:2:1$, serving as a primary energy source.

Monosaccharide

A simple sugar monomer, such as glucose or fructose, that serves as a building block for carbohydrates.

Disaccharide

A carbohydrate structure formed when two simple sugar monomers are bonded together, such as lactose or sucrose.

Polysaccharide

A complex carbohydrate composed of long chains of linked monosaccharide monomers, such as cellulose, starch, or glycogen.

Glycogen

A glucose storage polysaccharide made and stored by the liver and skeletal muscles in humans.

Lipids

Hydrophobic organic molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, and very little oxygen, functioning in structure and long-term energy storage.

Peptide Bond

The specific type of chemical bond linking two amino acids together in a polypeptide chain.

Nucleotide

The structural monomer of nucleic acids, consisting of a pentose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

A high-energy nucleotide compound composed of adenosine bound to three phosphate groups, releasing energy when its phosphate bonds are broken.