Untitled Flashcards Set

Atom

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

Protons

Positively charged subatomic particles found in an atom's nucleus.

Neutrons

Neutral subatomic particles found in an atom's nucleus.

Electrons

Negatively charged subatomic particles that move around the nucleus of an atom.

Atomic Nucleus

The central part of an atom, containing protons and neutrons.

Valence Electrons

Electrons located in the outermost shell of an atom that are involved in bonding.

Covalent bond

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

Nonpolar covalent bond

A covalent bond where electrons are shared equally between atoms.

Polar covalent bond

A covalent bond where electrons are shared unequally, resulting in a molecule with a charge difference.

Ionic bond

A bond formed when one atom transfers an electron to another atom, resulting in charged ions.

Hydrogen bond

A weak attraction between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom and another electronegative atom.

Van der Waals interactions

Weak attractions between atoms that occur when they are extremely close together.

Chemical reactions

Processes that involve making or breaking chemical bonds.

Reactants

The starting materials in a chemical reaction.

Products

The substances produced from a chemical reaction.

Polarity (of water)

The uneven charge distribution within a water molecule, causing it to have distinct positive and negative ends.

Cohesion

The ability of water molecules to stick to each other due to hydrogen bonding.

Adhesion

The ability of water molecules to stick to other substances.

Capillary action

The ability of water to flow in narrow spaces against gravity due to adhesion and cohesion.

Surface tension

The cohesive force at the surface of water that allows it to form droplets.

Specific heat

The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a substance.

Heat of vaporization

The amount of energy required for a substance to evaporate.

Evaporative cooling

The process where evaporation removes heat from a surface, cooling it.

Hydrophilic

Substances that are attracted to water and can dissolve in it.

Hydrophobic

Substances that repel water and do not dissolve in it.

Mole (mol)

A unit of measurement for the amount of a substance in terms of the number of molecules or atoms.

Molarity

The concentration of a solute in a solution, measured in moles per liter.

pH

A measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution based on hydrogen ion concentration.

Acidic

Solutions with a pH less than 7, having a higher concentration of H+ ions.

Neutral

A solution with a pH of 7, having equal concentrations of H+ and OH- ions.

Basic/Alkaline

Solutions with a pH greater than 7, having a higher concentration of OH- ions.

Carbon

An essential element in life that can form diverse organic molecules due to its four valence electrons.

Organic compound

Any compound that contains carbon and is found in living organisms.

Macromolecules

Large, complex molecules essential for life, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Monomers

The smaller subunits that make up polymers.

Polymers

Large molecules formed by joining many monomers together.

Dehydration synthesis

A chemical reaction that links monomers by releasing a water molecule.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that breaks down polymers by adding water.

Monosaccharides

The simplest form of carbohydrates, consisting of single sugar units.

Disaccharides

Carbohydrates made of two monosaccharides bonded together.

Polysaccharides

Carbohydrates composed of many monosaccharides linked together.

Glycosidic linkage

The covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides during dehydration synthesis.

Lipids

A group of hydrophobic macromolecules including fats, phospholipids, and steroids.

Triglycerides

Lipids composed of one glycerol and three fatty acids.

Saturated fatty acids

Fatty acids with no double bonds in their carbon chains, typically solid at room temperature.

Unsaturated fatty acids

Fatty acids with one or more double bonds, typically liquid at room temperature.

Phospholipids

Lipids that make up cell membranes, with both hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails.

Proteins

Polymers made of amino acids that perform a wide variety of functions in living organisms.

Amino acids

The monomers that make up proteins, consisting of a central carbon, amino group, carboxyl group, and R-group.

Peptide bond

The covalent bond formed between two amino acids.

Polypeptides

Chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds that fold into functional proteins.

Nucleic acids

Biomacromolecules that store and transmit genetic information, including DNA and RNA.

Nucleotides

Monomers of nucleic acids consisting of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Gene expression

The process through which the information in a gene is used to synthesize proteins.

Complementary base pairing

The specific pairing of nitrogenous bases in DNA; Adenine with Thymine and Cytosine with Guanine.