General Chemistry and Cell Biology Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering basic chemistry, water properties, organic biomolecules, membrane transport mechanisms, and cellular organelles.

Matter

Anything that takes up space and has weight, existing as different combinations of $92$ natural elements.

Protons

Positively charged subatomic particles located in the atomic nucleus with a mass of $1\,\text{amu}$.

Electrons

Negatively charged subatomic particles with a mass of $0\,\text{amu}$.

Neutrons

Neutral subatomic particles with a mass of $1\,\text{amu}$, calculated as $\text{mass} - \text{protons}$.

Atomic Number

The number of protons contained within an atom.

Ionic Bond

A chemical bond formed when atoms give or take electrons to complete an electron shell, creating an attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Covalent Bond

The strongest chemical bond, formed when atoms share up to $3$ pairs of electrons following the rule of $8$.

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Radioisotopes

Unstable isotopes that spontaneously decay, emitting rays and subatomic particles, which can be used as medical tracers to treat disease.

Hydrogen Bond

The weakest bond type occurring between polar molecules containing positive and negative poles, such as water molecules.

Dehydration Synthesis

A chemical reaction that joins two monomers into a polymer by removing water.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that degrades a polymer into individual monomers by adding water.

Human Water Content

The percentage of water body weight in humans, comprising $55\%$ in adult women, $60\%$ in adult men, $65\%$ in children, $75\%$ in infants, and $60\text{--}70\%$ across living things.

Cohesion

The property of water molecules sticking together, aiding in cellular transport.

High Heat of Vaporization

The property of water requiring significant energy to change temperature and phase, allowing sweat to cool the body.

pH Scale

A measurement scale of hydrogen ion concentration where neutral is $7$, acidic solutions are $<7$, and basic (alkaline) solutions are $>7$.

Buffers

Chemical systems that stabilize pH by taking up excess $H^+$ or $OH^-$ ions.

Carbonate Buffer System

A blood buffering system composed of carbonic acid, bicarbonate, and carbonate that maintains human blood at pH $7.4$.

Monosaccharides

Single-sugar monomers, including galactose, glucose, and fructose, used for short-term energy to produce ATP.

Disaccharides

Two-sugar energy transporters consisting of sucrose, lactose, or maltose.

Polysaccharides

Complex carbohydrates used for energy storage and structural support, including starch in plants, glycogen in animal liver, intestine, and blood, and cellulose in plant cell walls.

Triglycerides

Non-polar lipid molecules built from one glycerol molecule attached to $3$ fatty acid tails.

Saturated Fats

Fats containing only single bonds in their fatty acid tails, forming straight chains that pack tightly.

Unsaturated Fats

Fats containing double bonds in their fatty acid tails, creating kinks that form liquid oils.

Trans Fats

Unsaturated fats created artificially during food manufacturing.

Phospholipids

Molecules built from glycerol with a polar head and $2$ non-polar fatty acid tails, forming double-layered cell membranes in water.

Steroids

Lipid molecules formed of backbones with four fused carbon rings that stabilize cell membranes and function as hormones such as cholesterol, estrogen, and testosterone.

Amino Acids

The $20$ different monomers that link together via covalent peptide bonds to construct polypeptides and proteins.

Primary Structure

The specific sequence or order of amino acids in a polypeptide chain.

Tertiary Structure

The final three-dimensional folded shape of a protein that allows it to function as a cellular machine.

Nucleic Acids

Biomolecules, made of nucleotide monomers (phosphate, adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine or uracil), that build proteins and carry cellular energy.

RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)

A nucleic acid that performs the work of building proteins, substituting uracil in place of thymine.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The primary energy-carrying molecule in cells that breaks down into ADP (adenosine diphosphate) to release free energy for cell metabolism, producing $36$ ATP per run in mitochondria.

Plasma Membrane

A selectively permeable barrier composed of a liquid phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins and hybrid recognition molecules (glycoproteins/glycolipids).

Diffusion

The slow, passive movement of non-polar molecules directly through the plasma membrane from high to low concentration due to random molecular motion.

Facilitated Diffusion

The passive transport of specific molecules, such as ions, glucose, and amino acids, across a membrane from high to low concentration via protein channels or transporters.

Osmosis

The passive diffusion of water across a membrane through aquaporin pores from a region of high water concentration to low water concentration.

Isotonic

A state where solute concentration is equal on both sides of a cellular membrane.

Hypertonic

A solution state where the concentration of solutes outside the cell is higher than inside.

Hypotonic

A solution state where the concentration of solutes outside the cell is lower than inside.

Active Transport

Energy-requiring movement of molecules against a concentration gradient (low to high concentration) using protein pumps, such as $Na^+/K^+ \text{ATPase}$ pumps.

Endocytosis

The bulk transport of macromolecules into a cell using vesicles.

Exocytosis

The bulk transport of materials out of a cell using vesicles.

Chromatin

A complex consisting of DNA and organizing proteins located inside the nucleus.

Ribosomes

Organelles made of RNA located in the cytosol or attached to the rough ER that serve as the site for protein synthesis.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum

Membranous organelle studded with ribosomes responsible for synthesizing proteins.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

Membranous organelle abundant in the liver that synthesizes carbohydrates and lipids, and detoxifies drugs.

Golgi Apparatus

Cell organelle that receives vesicles to pack and ship organic molecules.

Lysosomes

Vesicles filled with digestive enzymes used to break down internal cellular components or external substances.

Microfilaments

Cytoskeletal threads made of actin and myosin proteins that facilitate muscle contraction.

Microtubules

Cytoskeletal structures composed of tubulin proteins that move chromosomes during mitosis and line uterine tubes.

Cilia

Short, hair-like cellular extensions that sweep and move cells or materials.

Flagella

A long, single tail structure used for cell propulsion, found in sperm cells.