Important Building Blocks for Life - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from lecture 2.0 on important chemical building blocks, cell structure, membrane transport, and cell division.

Chemistry

The study of the structure and interactions of matter.

Matter

Anything that occupies space and has mass.

Atom

The smallest unit of an element or matter, composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Ion

An atom that holds an electrical charge.

Hydrophilic

Describing charged molecules that mix well with water, causing them to dissolve or dissociate.

Hydrophobic

Describing uncharged molecules that do not mix well with water.

Solute

The dissolved substance in a solution.

Solvent

The substance in a solution that does the dissolving.

Carbohydrates

Organic molecules consisting of 5-6 carbons bonded in rings that serve primarily as short-term energy storage and structural components.

Nucleic Acids

Organic molecules composed of long chains of nucleotides that function in information storage and transfer, including DNA and RNA.

Proteins

Organic molecules composed of long chains of amino acids that serve as structural components, facilitate chemical reactions as enzymes, and aid cellular transport and movement.

Lipids

Hydrophobic organic molecules lacking a uniform subunit, used for long-term energy storage, cellular membrane structures, and functions.

Prokaryotic Cell

Simple cell structure lacking a nucleus and complex membrane-bound organelles, consisting of a plasma membrane and cytoplasm.

Eukaryotic Cell

Complex cell structure found in plants and animals, organized into three main regions: cell membrane, nucleus, and cytoplasm containing organelles.

Passive Transport

Movement of molecules down a concentration gradient from an area of high concentration to low concentration without requiring cellular energy.

Active Transport

Movement of substances across a plasma membrane against a concentration gradient from low to high concentration, requiring cellular energy in the form of $\text{ATP}$.

Isotonic Solution

A solution having the same solute concentration as another solution or cellular compartment.

Hypertonic Solution

A solution with a higher concentration of solutes compared to another solution, causing water to move out of cells.

Hypotonic Solution

A solution with a lower concentration of solutes compared to another solution, causing water to enter cells.

Mitosis

The process of cell division that divides one parent cell into two identical daughter cells.