Chemical Basis of Life - Chapter 2 Review

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms and concepts from Chapter 2 of the biology lecture on the chemical basis of life.

Element

A substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by ordinary chemical means.

Atom

The smallest unit of matter that still retains the properties of an element.

Compound

A substance consisting of two or more different elements in a fixed ratio.

Ionic Bond

An attraction between ions of opposite charge.

Covalent Bond

A bond formed when two atoms share electrons.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond formed between a hydrogen atom and an electronegative atom.

Hydrophilic

Substances that have an affinity for water and can dissolve in it.

Hydrophobic

Substances that do not mix and do not dissolve in water.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.

Mass Number

The sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

Isotope

Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

pH Scale

A scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution.

Emergent Properties of Water

Properties such as cohesion, adhesion, temperature moderation, different states, and being a solvent of life.

Valence Shell

The outermost shell of an atom that contains valence electrons.

Electronegativity

The tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of electrons.