Biol1020: Elementary Chemistry Flashcards

These flashcards cover the fundamental concepts of elementary chemistry as they relate to biology, including atomic structure, chemical bonding, and metabolic reactions like ATP hydrolysis and photosynthesis.

Element

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

Compound

A substance consisting of two or more elements in a fixed ratio, such as $NaCl$.

Essential Elements

The approximately 25 of the 92 elements required for life; Carbon ($C$), hydrogen ($H$), oxygen ($O$), and nitrogen ($N$) make up $96\%$ of living matter.

Trace Elements

Elements that are required by an organism in only minute quantities.

Congenital iodine deficiency syndrome

Also known as Cretinism, it is a condition caused by a deficiency of iodine resulting in symptoms like goiter, mental impairment, and poor growth.

Creswell 'Cres' Eastman

An Australian endocrinologist known as "the man who saved a million brains" for his work preventing iodine deficiency and its associated intellectual disabilities.

Neutron

A subatomic particle located in the atomic nucleus with no electrical charge.

Proton

A subatomic particle located in the atomic nucleus with a positive charge; the number of these determines an atom's identity.

Electron

A negatively charged subatomic particle that forms a cloud around the atomic nucleus.

Electron Shells

The distribution levels of electrons within an atom.

Valence Electrons

The electrons located in the outermost shell, or valence shell, which mostly determine the chemical behavior of an atom.

Chemical Bonds

Attractions that result from atoms sharing or transferring valence electrons, holding the atoms close together.

Covalent Bond

A type of chemical bond formed by the sharing of a pair of valence electrons by two atoms.

Molecule

A substance consisting of two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.

Single Bond

The sharing of one pair of valence electrons between two atoms.

Double Bond

The sharing of two pairs of valence electrons between two atoms.

Hormones

Chemical messengers produced by glands in the endocrine system, such as Thyroxine ($T_4$) and triiodothyronine ($T_3$), which regulate growth, metabolism, and mood.

Molecular Shape

The three-dimensional arrangement of a molecule determined by covalent bonds, which is critical for biological recognition and interaction specificity.

Chemical Reactions

Processes that make and break chemical bonds, leading to changes in the composition of matter.

Reactants

The starting materials in a chemical reaction.

Products

The resulting materials at the end of a chemical reaction.

Photosynthesis

A solar-powered chemical process expressed by the reaction: $6CO_2 + 6H_2O \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2$.

ATP ($Adenosine\,Triphosphate$)

The primary energy storage molecule in biology used to power cellular work and movement.

ATP Hydrolysis

The chemical reaction where ATP reacts with water ($H_2O$) to produce ADP ($Adenosine\,Diphosphate$), inorganic phosphate ($P_i$), and energy.

ATP Synthase

A complex found in mitochondria that powers the cell by synthesizing ATP.

CFTR Channel

A membrane channel that requires energy from ATP to open; mutations in this channel prevent the reaction and lead to Cystic Fibrosis.