Miller and Levine Biology Chapter 2 Chemistry of Life

Atoms

The basic unit of matter

Nucleus

The center of an atom, which contains the protons and the neutrons

Electrons

Negatively charged particle. In constant motion around the nucleus

Element

A pure substance that consists of entirely of one type of atom

Isotopes

one of several forms of a single element, which contains the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons

Compound

substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements in definite proportions

ionic bond

formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another

Ions

an atom that has a positive or negative charge

Covalent Bond

a type of bond between atoms in which electrons are shared

molecule

The smallest unit of most compounds

van der Waals force

slight attraction that develops between oppositely charged regions of nearby molecules

Hydrogen bond

weak attraction between a hydrogen atom and another atom

Cohesion

An attraction between molecules of the same substance

Adhesion

An attraction between molecules of a different substance

Mixture

A material composed of two or more elements or compounds that are physically mixed together but not chemically combined

Solution

A type of mixture in which all the compounds are evenly distributed

Solute

The substance that is dissolved

Solvent

The substance that dissolves the solute

suspension

Mixture of water and non dissolved material

pH scale

Indicates the concentration of H+ ions in a solution. Scale goes from 0 to 14.

Acid

A compound that forms H+ ions in a solution, they contain more H+ ions that pure water. Has a pH below 7

Base

A compound that produces hydroxide (OH-) ions in a solution, they contain less H+ ions than pure water. Has a pH above 7

Buffers

weak acids or bases that can react with strong acids or bases to prevent changes in pH1

Monomers

Small chemical unit that makes up a polymer

Monos meaning "single" in Greek, and meros meaning "part" in Greek, it directly translates to "Single Part"

Polymer

molecules composed of many monomers. Makes up biomolecules

Poly coming from the Greek word "polus" meaning many, and meros meaning "part" in Greek, it translates to "Many parts"

Carbohydrates

compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, usually in a ratio of 1:2:1

Monosaccharides

Simple sugar molecules

Lipids

Biomolecules made mostly of carbon and hydrogen atoms; includes fat, oil, and wax

Nucleic acids

biomolecules containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus

Nucleotides

Monomers that make up nucleic acids. made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Protein

Biomolecules containing nitrogen, carbon,. hydrogen, and oxygen

Amino Acids

compounds with amino group (-NH2) on one end and a carboxyl group (-COOH) on the other side

Chemical Reaction

A process that changes, or transforms, one set of chemicals into another set of chemicals

Reactant

The elements or compounds that enter a reaction

Product

The elements or compounds produced by a chemical reaction

Activation Energy

The energy needed to get a reaction started

catalyst

A substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction; works by lowering a reaction's activation energy

enzyme

proteins that act as biological catalyst

substrate

The reactants of a enzyme-catalyzed reactions

surface tension

the force that acts on the surface of a liquid and that tends to minimize the area of the surface

heat capacity or specific heat

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a specified amount of a substance by 1°C or 1 K.

heat of vaporization

The amount of energy required for the liquid at its boiling point to become a gas

heat of fusion

Amount of energy required to change a substance from the solid phase to the liquid phase.

Polysaccharides

Carbohydrates that are made up of more than two monosaccharides

peptide bond

covalent bond formed between amino acids

primary structure of protein

amino acid sequence

secondary structure of protein

protein structure is formed by folding and twisting of amino acid chain

tertiary structure of protein

3D shape of protein

quarternary structure of protein

overall protein structure, combining 2 or more polypeptides

surfactant

a substance that tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved.

capillary action

tendency of water to rise in a thin tube