Human Anatomy and Physiology - Chemistry Comes Alive

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms from a Human Anatomy and Physiology lecture on Chemistry.

Biochemistry

The study of the chemical composition and reactions of living matter.

Inorganic compounds

Chemicals that do not contain carbon; examples include water, salts, and many acids and bases.

Organic compounds

Chemicals that contain carbon, are usually large, and are covalently bonded; examples include carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and nucleic acids.

High heat capacity (of water)

The ability of water to absorb and release heat with little temperature change, preventing sudden changes in temperature.

High heat of vaporization (of water)

The property of water where evaporation requires large amounts of heat, making it a useful cooling mechanism.

Polar solvent properties (of water)

The ability of water to dissolve and dissociate ionic substances and form hydration layers around large charged molecules.

Salts

Ionic compounds that dissociate into separate ions in water, separating into cations and anions (not including H+ and OH– ions).

Electrolytes

Ions that can conduct electrical currents in solution.

Acids

Proton donors; they release hydrogen ions (H+) in solution.

Bases

Proton acceptors; they pick up H+ ions in solution.

pH

Measurement of the concentration of hydrogen ions [H+] in a solution.

Neutralization reaction

Reactions where acids and bases are mixed together, resulting in displacement reactions that form water and a salt.

Buffers

Substances that resist abrupt and large swings in the pH of a solution.

Polymers

Chains of similar units called monomers (building blocks).

Dehydration Synthesis

A reaction in which monomers are joined by removal of OH from one monomer and removal of H from the other at the site of bond formation.

Hydrolysis

A reaction in which monomers are released by the addition of a water molecule, adding OH to one monomer and H to the other.

Carbohydrates

Sugars and starches containing C, H, and O in a 2:1 ratio of hydrogen to oxygen.

Monosaccharides

One single sugar; the monomers or smallest unit of a carbohydrate.

Disaccharides

Two sugars joined together.

Polysaccharides

Many sugars; polymers made up of monomers of monosaccharides.

Triglycerides

Fats when solid and oils when liquid, composed of three fatty acids bonded to a glycerol molecule by dehydration synthesis.

Saturated fatty acids

Triglycerides with all carbons linked via single covalent bonds, resulting in a molecule with the maximum number of H atoms.

Unsaturated fatty acids

Triglycerides with one or more carbons linked via double bonds, resulting in reduced H atoms

Phospholipids

Modified triglycerides with glycerol and two fatty acids plus a phosphorus-containing group; important in cell membrane structure.

Steroids

Lipids consisting of four interlocking ring structures; cholesterol is the most important.

Eicosanoids

Lipids derived from arachidonic acid, playing a role in blood clotting, control of blood pressure, inflammation, and labor contractions.

Proteins

Polymers of amino acid monomers held together by peptide bonds.

Peptide bonds

Covalent bonds joining amino acids.

Primary structure (of proteins)

The linear sequence of amino acids in a protein.

Secondary structure (of proteins)

How primary amino acids interact with each other (alpha helix coils and beta pleated sheets).

Tertiary structure (of proteins)

How secondary structures in a protein interact.

Quaternary structure (of proteins)

How two or more different polypeptides interact with each other.

Fibrous (structural) proteins

Strandlike, water-insoluble, and stable proteins that provide mechanical support and tensile strength.

Globular (functional) proteins

Compact, spherical, water-soluble, and sensitive to environmental changes proteins with specific functional regions.

Protein denaturation

When globular proteins unfold and lose their functional 3-D shape.

Enzymes

Globular proteins that act as biological catalysts, regulating and increasing the speed of chemical reactions.

Activation energy

The energy needed to initiate a chemical reaction.

Nucleic acids

Polymers made up of monomers called nucleotides, composed of a nitrogen base, a pentose sugar, and a phosphate group.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Double-stranded helical molecule located in the cell nucleus that holds the genetic blueprint for the synthesis of all proteins.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA)

Single-stranded linear molecule active mostly outside the nucleus that links DNA to protein synthesis.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate)

Molecule that captures chemical energy released when glucose is broken down and directly powers chemical reactions in cells.