Introduction to pH, Carbon, and Functional Groups Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering pH calculations, buffers, carbon structures, isomers, and key biological functional groups based on the transcript.

pH

Potential hydrogen; a calculation of the concentration of hydrogen ions ($H^+$) in solution using a negative log function.

Bicarbonate

A major buffer system in the human body that helps maintain blood pH around $7$ by adjusting hydrogen ion levels through urine excretion and respiration.

Acids

Substances with a $pH < 7$ that release hydrogen ions ($H^+$) when dissolved in water.

Bases

Substances with a $pH > 7$ that release hydroxide or hydroxyl ions ($OH^-$) when dissolved in water.

Catenation

The process by which carbon forms long chains, rings, and various bonds (single, double, triple), enabling distinct functional structures.

Isomers

Molecules that contain the exact same chemical elements in equal parts but are arranged differently, resulting in different properties.

Structural Isomers

Isomers whose atoms are bound in different structural arrangements, such as pentane and methyl butane, leading to differing physical properties.

Stereo Isomers

Isomers that share the exact same chemical bonding structure but are mirror images of each other.

Thalidomide

A drug from the 1960s where one stereo isomer functioned as a sedative, while its mirror-image stereo isomer caused severe birth defects.

L-DOPA

A medication used to treat Parkinson's disease whose mirror-image stereo isomer is chemically identical in composition but has no therapeutic effect.

Functional Groups

Specific groups of atoms attached to a carbon skeleton that possess unique electrochemical properties and dictate how biological molecules behave in cells.

Hydroxyl Group

A polar functional group consisting of an $-OH$ group attached to a carbon chain, found in alcohols like ethanol and capable of hydrogen bonding.

Carbonyl Group

A polar functional group featuring a carbon double-bonded to an oxygen atom ($C=O$), found in sugars, aldehydes, and ketones.

Carboxyl Group

A polar functional group composed of a carbonyl and a hydroxyl group ($-COOH$) that releases a hydrogen ion ($H^+$) in water, functioning as an acid.

Amine Group

A polar functional group containing a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogens ($-NH_2$) and attached to carbon, found in amino acids and capable of forming hydrogen bonds.

Methyl Group

A nonpolar, hydrophobic functional group consisting of a carbon bonded to three hydrogens ($-CH_3$) that regulates DNA expression when added to DNA.

Phosphate Group

A functional group consisting of a phosphorus atom bound to four oxygen atoms, bearing a charge of $-2$, and forming the structural backbone of DNA and RNA.

Sulfhydryl Group

A sulfur-containing functional group found in specific amino acid side chains that forms stabilizing covalent bonds within protein structures.