BURDZINSKI BIO 152W - Test 2 Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, chemical reactions, macromolecules, and biological terms from Module 3 and Module 4 of the BIO 152W Test 2 Study Guide.

Matter

Anything that occupies space and has mass.

Potential Energy

Stored energy that has the capability to do work but is not currently active.

Kinetic Energy

Energy in action or the energy associated with the active motion of matter.

Proton

A subatomic particle located in the atomic nucleus that carries a positive charge and has a mass of approximately 1 atomic mass unit.

Neutron

A subatomic particle located in the atomic nucleus that carries no electrical charge and has a mass of approximately 1 atomic mass unit.

Electron

A subatomic particle that orbits the atomic nucleus, carries a negative charge, and has negligible mass.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in an atom's nucleus, which uniquely identifies an element.

Molecule

A chemical particle composed of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.

Compound

A substance formed when two or more different kinds of elements are chemically bonded together.

Non-polar Covalent Bond

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

Polar Covalent Bond

A chemical bond formed by the unequal sharing of electrons, producing partial positive and negative charges.

Ionic Bond

A chemical bond resulting from the complete transfer of electrons from one atom to another, creating attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Synthesis Reaction

A chemical reaction in which smaller molecules or atoms combine to form a larger, more complex molecule.

Decomposition Reaction

A chemical reaction in which a complex molecule is broken down into smaller, simpler molecules or atoms.

Exchange Reaction

A chemical reaction involving both synthesis and decomposition where bonds are broken and formed to rearrange reactant components.

Reversible Reaction

A chemical reaction in which the products can re-react to reform the original starting reactants.

Universal Solvent

A property of water resulting from its polar molecular structure that enables it to dissolve a wide variety of solutes.

Dehydration Synthesis

A chemical reaction that links monomer subunits together by removing a molecule of water.

Hydrolysis Reaction

A chemical reaction that cleaves complex molecules into smaller units by adding a molecule of water.

Salt

An ionic compound composed of cations other than $H^+$ and anions other than $OH^-$.

Acid

A chemical substance that releases hydrogen ions ($H^+$) in solution, acting as a proton donor and resulting in a pH below 7.

Base

A chemical substance that accepts hydrogen ions ($H^+$) or releases hydroxyl ions ($OH^-$) in solution, resulting in a pH above 7.

pH Scale

A logarithmic measurement scale ranging from 0 to 14 that quantifies the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution.

Neutralization Reaction

A chemical reaction between an acid and a base that produces a salt and water, yielding a neutral solution.

Buffer

A chemical compound or system that resists drastic changes in pH by binding or releasing hydrogen ions.

Inorganic Compound

A compound that generally lacks carbon-hydrogen bonds, such as water, salts, acids, and bases.

Organic Compound

A complex carbon-containing compound found in living organisms that typically features carbon-hydrogen bonds.

Carbohydrate

An organic macromolecule composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that serves as a primary source of cellular energy.

Monosaccharide

The simple single-sugar monomer unit of carbohydrates, such as glucose or fructose.

Disaccharide

A carbohydrate composed of two monosaccharides joined by a covalent bond, such as sucrose.

Polysaccharide

A complex polymer composed of long chains of linked monosaccharide units, such as glycogen or starch.

Lipid

A hydrophobic organic molecule that is insoluble in water, including triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids.

Triglyceride

A lipid composed of one glycerol molecule bound to three fatty acid chains, serving as long-term energy storage.

Phospholipid

A lipid composed of a glycerol head, a phosphate group, and two hydrophobic fatty acid tails, forming cell membranes.

Steroid

A lipid molecule characterized by a structure composed of four interconnected carbon rings, such as cholesterol.

Saturated Fat

A lipid containing fatty acid chains with single carbon-carbon bonds only, allowing maximum bound hydrogen; solid at room temperature.

Unsaturated Fat

A lipid containing one or more double bonds in its fatty acid chains; liquid at room temperature.

Protein

An organic macromolecule constructed from amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds, performing structural and metabolic functions.

Primary Structure

The specific linear sequence of amino acids linked together in a polypeptide chain.

Secondary Structure

The local coiling or folding of a polypeptide chain into alpha-helices or beta-pleated sheets held by hydrogen bonds.

Tertiary Structure

The overall three-dimensional folding pattern of a single polypeptide chain based on R-group side chain interactions.

Quaternary Structure

The structural complex formed by the association of two or more individual polypeptide chains.

Enzyme

A biological protein catalyst that increases the rate of chemical reactions in the body.

Substrate

The specific reactant molecule that binds to an enzyme and undergoes a chemical alteration.

Nucleic Acid

An organic macromolecule composed of nucleotide chains that stores and expresses genetic information.

DNA

A double-stranded nucleic acid containing deoxyribose sugar and adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine bases.

RNA

A single-stranded nucleic acid containing ribose sugar and adenine, uracil, cytosine, and guanine bases.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, the principal energy-transferring molecule that powers cellular work in the human body.