Chemistry of Life

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on the chemistry of life.

Matter

Any material that takes up space and has mass; can be a solid, liquid, or gas.

Element

A substance that cannot be broken down chemically to simpler substances with different properties.

Atom

The smallest part of any element that still displays the unique properties of that element.

Proton

A positively charged sub-atomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom.

Neutron

A sub-atomic particle without charge, located in the nucleus.

Electron

A negatively charged sub-atomic particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, defining the element.

Atomic Mass

The sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Isotope

Atoms of the same element that have a different number of neutrons and different atomic mass.

Radioactivity

The release of energy as an unstable atomic nucleus decays.

Molecule

Formed when two or more atoms bond together.

Compound

A molecule composed of atoms from two or more different elements.

Ion

A charged atom that has gained or lost electrons.

Ionic Bond

A bond formed when one atom gives up an electron to another, resulting in oppositely charged ions that bond together.

Covalent Bond

A bond formed when atoms share electrons.

Hydrogen Bond

Weak attractions between polar covalent molecules.

Cohesion

The property of water that allows it to cling to other water molecules due to hydrogen bonds.

Heat Capacity

The ability of water to resist changing temperature due to hydrogen bonds.

Solvent

A substance that dissolves other substances; water is known as a good solvent.

Acid

A substance that releases H+ ions when dissolved in water.

Base

A substance that releases OH- ions when dissolved in water.

pH Scale

A scale that measures the acidity or basicity of a solution, ranging from 0 to 14.