Molecules of Life - Bio-Chemistry Basics

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental biochemistry concepts from Chapter 2, including atoms, chemical bonds, subatomic particles, electronegativity, and chemical reactions.

Matter

Anything that takes up space and has mass.

Elements

Substances that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical reactions.

Trace Elements

Elements that make up the remaining $4\%$ of living matter beyond carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen.

Goiter

An irregular growth of the thyroid, often resulting from an iodine deficiency.

Protons

Positively charged subatomic particles located inside the nucleus of an atom.

Neutrons

Neutral subatomic particles located inside the nucleus of an atom.

Electrons

Negatively charged subatomic particles that move in orbitals around the nucleus.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in an atom, which specifies an atom as a particular element.

Atomic Mass

The total value calculated as $\text{Atomic Mass} = \text{\# of protons} + \text{\# of neutrons}$.

Isotopes

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

Radioactive Isotopes

Unstable isotopes whose nucleus decays spontaneously, giving off particles and energy.

Orbitals

Regions around the nucleus occupied by electrons.

Valence Shell

The outermost electron shell of an atom.

Valence Electrons

The unpaired electrons located in the outermost shell that participate in chemical bonding.

Chemical Reactions

The exchanging and sharing of electrons between atoms, changing which atoms are bonded together.

Chemical Bonds

Interactions formed when atoms combine with one another to form a molecule.

Covalent Bond

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

Electronegativity

An inherent property of each type of atom that describes its affinity for electrons and how strongly it pulls shared electrons toward itself.

Nonpolar Covalent Bonds

Bonds formed when atoms share electrons equally, occurring between elements with identical or similar electronegativity values.

Polar Covalent Bonds

Bonds formed when electrons are shared unequally between elements with different electronegativities, resulting in partial positive and negative charges.

Ion

A charged atom created when an atom loses or gains an electron.

Cation

A positively charged ion formed when an atom loses an electron.

Anion

A negatively charged ion formed when an atom gains an electron.

Ionic Bonds

Bonds formed by the attraction between opposite charges of ions following an electron transfer.

Reactants

The starting substance(s) in a chemical reaction, also called substrates.

Products

The ending substance(s) formed as a result of a chemical reaction.