Ch. 2: Chemistry (Organic & Inorganic)
Studied by 0 people
Learn
Practice Test
Spaced Repetition
Match
Flashcards1/126
There's no tags or description
Looks like no tags are added yet.
Name | Mastery | Learn | Test | Matching | Spaced |
|---|
No study sessions yet.
127 Terms
What is matter?
Anything that occupies space and has mass (weight).
Give an example of matter.
The physical "stuff" of the universe, both living and non-living.
What are the three states of matter?
Solid, liquid, and gas.
How is the amount of a substance quantified?
By its mass.
What is the relationship between mass and weight on Earth's surface?
Under the influence of gravity, mass is equal to weight.
What are elements?
Fundamental units of matter that cannot be broken down into other substances.
What four elements make up 96% of living matter?
Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), and Nitrogen (N).
What are atoms?
The building blocks of elements.
What are the two main parts of an atom?
The nucleus and the space outside the nucleus.
What subatomic particles are found in the nucleus?
Protons (p+) and neutrons (n0).
What subatomic particles are found outside the nucleus?
Electrons (e-).
What determines how elements differ from one another?
The number of subatomic particles in their atoms.
What is a chemical symbol?
A shorthand way to represent an element.
What is the atomic number of an element?
The number of protons (p+) in the atom's nucleus.
What is the mass number (atomic mass) of an atom?
The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
What are isotopes?
Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons and electrons but differ in the number of neutrons.
Give examples of carbon isotopes.
Carbon-12 (12C), Carbon-13 (13C), and Carbon-14 (14C).
What is a radioisotope?
A heavy, unstable isotope.
What is radioactivity?
The process by which unstable isotopes spontaneously decay to a more stable form, emitting measurable energy (radiation).
How are radioisotopes used in medicine?
Low-level radiation emitted by radioisotopes taken up by specific tissues can be scanned to create images for diagnostic purposes (e.g., thyroid scan using radioactive iodine).
What are electron shells (energy levels)?
Regions surrounding the atomic nucleus where electrons are found.
How does the attraction of electrons to the nucleus vary with the shell's distance?
Electrons closest to the nucleus are most strongly attracted.
What is the octet rule (rule of 8s) regarding electron shells and bonding?
Atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to achieve a stable valence shell with eight electrons (except the first shell, which prefers two).
What is the maximum number of electrons the first three electron shells can typically hold for bonding purposes?
Shell 1: 2 electrons
Shell 2: 8 electrons
Shell 3: 8 electrons
Which electron shells fill first?
The shells closest to the nucleus.
What part of an atom is involved in chemical bonding?
The electrons in the outermost electron shell, called the valence shell.
What type of valence shells do not form bonds? What are elements with these shells called?
Full valence shells; inert elements (e.g., Helium, Neon).
What type of valence shells do reactive elements have? What do they tend to do?
Incompletely filled valence shells; they tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to achieve stability through bond formation.
What are ionic bonds?
The attractive force between oppositely charged ions.
What are ions?
Charged particles (atoms or molecules) that have gained or lost electrons.
Give an example of a compound formed by ionic bonds.
Sodium chloride (NaCl).
What happens to ionic compounds when dissolved in water?
They dissociate into positively and negatively charged ions (e.g., NaCl → Na+ + Cl-).
What are chemicals made up of atoms with ionic bonds often called?
Salts or electrolytes.
What are cations? Give examples.
Positively charged ions (e.g., H+, K+).
What are anions? Give examples.
Negatively charged ions (e.g., HCO3-, OH-).
What are covalent bonds?
Chemical bonds formed when atoms share electrons to achieve stability.
What is a single covalent bond?
A bond where one pair of electrons is shared between two atoms.
What is a double covalent bond?
A bond where two pairs of electrons are shared between two atoms.
Give examples of molecules formed by covalent bonds.
Methane (CH4), Oxygen gas (O2).
What is polarity in covalent-bonded molecules?
The unequal sharing of electrons, resulting in a molecule with a positive and a negative side.
What are nonpolar molecules? Give an example.
Covalent-bonded molecules where electrons are evenly shared, resulting in an electrically neutral molecule (e.g., CO2).
What are polar molecules? Give an example.
Covalent-bonded molecules where electrons are unevenly shared, resulting in a molecule with a positive and a negative side (e.g., H2O).
What are hydrogen bonds?
Weak chemical bonds formed by the attraction of a hydrogen atom to the negative portion of a polar molecule.
What is the significance of hydrogen bonds?
They provide attraction between molecules.
What are molecules? Give examples.
Two or more atoms (of the same or different elements) joined together by chemical bonds (e.g., O2, N2, H2O).
What are compounds? Give examples.
Substances composed of two or more different elements chemically combined (e.g., H2O, CH4, NaCl, C6H12O6).
Why is the term "molecule" not typically used to describe electrolytes like NaCl?
Because electrolytes are electrically attracted ions, not atoms chemically combined in the same way as molecules.
What are solutions? Give examples.
Two or more components physically intermixed (not chemically bound) (e.g., saline solutions, blood plasma).
What is a solvent in a solution? Give an example.
The dissolving medium, usually present in the greatest amount (e.g., water).
What is a solute in a solution? Give examples.
The substance dissolved in the solvent, present in smaller amounts (e.g., NaCl, glucose, O2, Ca2+).
What are common ways to express the concentration of a solute in a solution?
Percent of solute, milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), and molarity (M).
What are reactants in a chemical reaction?
The reacting substances.
What are products in a chemical reaction?
The end result of a chemical reaction.
Give an example of a chemical reaction showing reactants and products.
4 H + C → CH4 (Hydrogen and Carbon are reactants, Methane is the product).
What are synthesis (combination) reactions?
Reactions where atoms, molecules, or ions combine to form a larger, more complex molecule (A + B → AB); always involve bond formation (anabolism).
Give an example of a synthesis reaction in the body.
Building muscle cells or forming proteins from amino acids.
What are decomposition reactions?
Reactions where large molecules are broken down into smaller units (AB → A + B); involve the breaking of bonds (catabolism).
Give an example of a decomposition reaction in the body.
Digestion of dietary protein into amino acids or breakdown of glycogen into glucose.
What are reversible reactions?
Chemical reactions that can proceed in both directions, seeking a state of equilibrium.
What is the carbonic acid buffering system? Why is it important?
CO2 + H2O ⇌ H2CO3 ⇌ H+ + HCO3-; it is important for maintaining CO2 and acid-base balance in the body.
What are inorganic compounds? How do they generally compare to organic compounds?
Compounds that lack carbon (with some exceptions like CO2 and HCO3-); they tend to be simpler than organic compounds.
Give examples of inorganic and organic compounds.
Inorganic: H2O, NaCl
Organic: C6H12O6 (glucose)
What is the most abundant inorganic compound in the body? What percentage of body weight does it constitute?
Water (H2O); 60-80% of body weight.
List some vital properties of water.
High heat capacity, high heat of vaporization, polar solvent properties, chemical reactivity, and cushioning.
Why is water often called the "universal solvent" in biological systems?
Because many biological molecules do not react unless they are in solution, and water's polarity allows it to dissolve many substances.
What are hydrolysis reactions?
Decomposition reactions that involve the addition of water to break bonds.
What is dehydration synthesis?
Synthesis reactions that involve the loss of a water molecule to form a bond.
How does water act as a cushion in the body?
It helps protect certain organs from physical trauma (e.g., cerebrospinal fluid).
What is the role of water in stabilizing macromolecules?
Hydrophobic interactions driven by water's polarity help maintain the structure of proteins and other large molecules.
What is the role of oxygen (O2) in the body?
It is essential for cells to extract energy from other compounds (cellular respiration).
What is the role of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the body?
It is a waste product of energy metabolism that needs to be removed from the body.
What are salts? Give examples.
Ionic compounds containing cations other than H+ and anions other than OH- (e.g., NaCl, CaCO3, KCl).
What happens to salts in water? What do they form?
They easily dissociate into ions, forming electrolytes that can conduct electrical currents.
Why are salts (and electrolytes) vital to many body functions?
They are essential for nerve cell communication, muscle contraction, and many other physiological processes.
What are acids? What happens when they dissolve in water?
Proton (H+ ion) donors; they release H+ ions when dissolved in water.
Give examples of strong and weak acids.
Strong acid: Hydrochloric acid (HCl); Weak acid: Carbonic acid (H2CO3).
What are bases? What happens when they dissolve in water?
Proton (H+ ion) acceptors; they attract and combine with H+ ions in water.
Give examples of bases.
Ammonia (NH3), bicarbonate ion (HCO3-).
What is pH? What does it measure?
A measure of the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in a solution.
What is the pH scale? What pH values are neutral, acidic, and basic?
A scale from 0 to 14; pH 7 is neutral, pH < 7 is acidic, and pH > 7 is basic.
What is the normal physiological pH range for human blood? What conditions occur if pH is outside this range?
7.35-7.45; pH < 7.35 is acidosis, and pH > 7.45 is alkalosis.
What are buffers? Give an example.
Chemicals that can regulate pH changes (e.g., the carbonic acid-bicarbonate system).
What are the four main types of organic compounds in the body (the molecules of life)?
Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
What are the unique binding properties of carbon?
It can form covalent bonds with up to four other atoms (including itself), creating diverse and complex carbon skeletons with energy-rich bonds; it can form single, double, and triple bonds.
What are hydrocarbons? What are their properties?
Organic molecules composed entirely of carbon and hydrogen atoms; they are very strong and form stable portions of most biological molecules.
What are functional groups? What is their role in organic molecules?
Specific groups of atoms that bind to the carbon backbone and impart distinct chemical properties to the compound.
What are monomers and polymers in the context of organic molecules?
Monomers are small repeating units, and polymers are large molecules formed by the covalent linking of many monomers.
How are polymers formed from monomers?
Via dehydration reactions, where a water molecule is lost as a covalent bond forms between monomers.
How are polymers broken down into monomers?
Via hydrolysis reactions, where a water molecule is added to break the covalent bond between monomers.
What are carbohydrates? What are their main functions?
Polysaccharides (sugars) that serve as energy-yielding fuel stores, extracellular structural elements, signaling molecules, and contribute to bulk in feces.
What are the building blocks (monomers) of carbohydrates? Give examples.
Monosaccharides (simple sugars) such as glucose, fructose, ribose, and deoxyribose.
What are disaccharides? Give examples.
Two monosaccharides covalently linked (e.g., sucrose, lactose, maltose).
What are polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates)? Give examples and their functions.
Many sugar units linked together (e.g., starch - energy storage in plants; glycogen - energy storage in animals; cellulose - structural component in plants, provides fiber in human diet).
What are lipids? What is a key characteristic?
A diverse group of hydrophobic (water-insoluble) organic compounds.
What are the main functions of lipids?
Protection, insulation, regulation, vitamin storage, structural components (membranes, steroids), and energy storage.
What are fats (triglycerides) composed of?
Glycerol (an alcohol) and three fatty acids.
What are unsaturated fatty acids? What is their state at room temperature?
Fatty acids with one or more double bonds in their hydrocarbon chain; typically liquid at room temperature.
What are saturated fatty acids? What is their state at room temperature?
Fatty acids with no double bonds in their hydrocarbon chain; typically solid at room temperature.
Where are fats primarily stored in the body?
In adipose cells.
What are phospholipids composed of? How do they behave in water?
A phosphate group and two fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone; they form a lipid bilayer in water with hydrophobic tails and hydrophilic heads.
Note 
Flashcards (114)