PSIO Lecture - Chemical Reactions and Organic Compounds

Vocabulary flashcards covering chemical reactions, body fluids, buffer systems, biological macromolecule structures, chemical bonding, and elemental composition from the lecture notes.

Catalysts

Compounds that make chemical reactions go faster by reducing activation energy ($A_e$).

Enzymes

Biological catalysts that create an ideal environment for reactions to occur, reduce randomness of collisions, and bring substrates together in correct orientation.

Intracellular Fluid (ICF)

Fluid compartment located inside the cell.

Extracellular Fluid (ECF)

Fluid compartment located outside the cell, composed of interstitial fluid (ISF) and plasma ($\text{ECF} = \text{ISF} + \text{plasma}$).

Buffer System

A system that helps maintain pH of body fluids within narrow ranges by donating or picking up $H^+$ ions to keep $[H^+]$ relatively constant.

Organic Compounds

Chemical compounds that always contain carbon.

Lipid Monomers

Glycerol and fatty acid molecules.

Triglycerides

Polymers formed from glycerol and fatty acids.

Polysaccharides

Polymers formed from monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose.

Protein Monomers

Amino acids.

Primary Structure

The sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide strand.

Secondary Structure

Protein folding into $\alpha$-helices and pleated sheets formed by hydrogen bonds.

Tertiary Structure

Three-dimensional protein folding resulting from interactions between amino acid side chains.

Quaternary Structure

Protein structure formed when $2$ or more peptide chains form a complex.

Nucleoside

A structure consisting of a nitrogenous base bound to a sugar.

Nucleotide

A molecule composed of C, H, O, N, and P, formed from a nucleoside and a phosphate group.

Cation

A positively charged ion ($+$).

Anion

A negatively charged ion ($-$).

Element

A substance that cannot be split into simpler substances by ordinary chemical means.

Covalent Bond

A chemical bond formed when atoms share electrons, which can be non-polar (equal sharing) or polar (unequal sharing due to greater electronegativity).

Hydrogen Bonds

Weak bonds formed between poles of polar covalent molecules that stabilize structures when many are present together.

Body Elemental Composition

Major elements in the human body including Oxygen ($65\%$), Carbon ($18\%$), Hydrogen ($10\%$), Nitrogen ($3\%$), and other elements including Phosphorus, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, and Chlorine combined ($4\%$).