atom
the most basic unit of matter
atomos
Greek word which means "unable to be cut"
Proton
a positively charged subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom
Neutron
a subatomic particle with no charge found in the nucleus of an atom
nucleus
Strong forces bind protons and neutrons together to form the _______, which is found at the center of the atom.
electron
a negatively charged particle found outside the nucleus of an atom
1/1840
Electrons have __________ the mass of a proton.
constant
Electrons are in ________ motion in the space surrounding the nucleus.
motion
Electrons are attracted to the positively charged nucleus but remain outside the nucleus because of the energy in their _________.
neutral
Because atoms have equal numbers of electrons and protons, their positive and negative charges balance out, and atoms themselves are electrically __________.
element
A pure substance made of only one kind of atom
24
More than 100 elements are known, but only about ___ are commonly found in living organisms.
atomic number
the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom
equal
The number of protons and electrons in an atom are ______.
isotopes
Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons
mass number
The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom
atomic mass
the weighted average (the abundance of each isotope in nature is considered when the average is calculated) of the masses of the isotopes of an element
chemical properties
Because they have the same number of trona, all isotopes element have the same ________ ________.
unstable
Some isotopes are radioactive, meaning that their nuclei are _______ and break down at a constant rate over time.
compound
a substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements in definite proportions
table salt
An example of a chemical compound is ______ ______.
different
The physical and chemical properties of a compound are usually very _______ from those of the elements from which it is formed.
chemical bonds
the attractive forces that hold atoms together
ionic bond
a chemical bond formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another
ions
a positively or negatively charged atom
covalent bond
A chemical bond formed when two atoms share electrons
double bond
when two atoms share two pairs of electrons
molecule
the structure that results when atoms are joined together by covalent bonds
molecule
When atoms of the same element join together, they form a _____.
van der Waals forces
slight attraction between oppositely charged regions of nearby molecules
polarity
Molecules having uneven distribution of charges (a positive and a negative side)
weaker
The partial charges on a polar molecule are written in parentheses to show that they are _____ than that the charges on ions.
attract
Because of their partial positive and negative charges, polar molecules such as water can _______ each other.
hydrogen bond
the attraction between a hydrogen atom with a partial positive charge and another atom with a partial negative charge
hydrogen
Because water is a polar molecule, it is able to form multiple ________ bonds, which account for many of water's special properties.
cohesion
an attraction between molecules of the same substance
surface tension
the uneven forces acting on the particles on the surface of a liquid (ex. some insects and spiders can walk on water because of this)
adhesion
An attraction between molecules of different substances (ex. water in a graduated cylinder creates the meniscus)
capillary action
the combined force of attraction among water molecules and with the molecules of surrounding materials
mixture
material composed of two or more elements or compounds that are physically mixed together but not chemically combined
solution
type of mixture in which all the components are evenly distributed
solute
A substance that is dissolved in a solution
solvent
the substance in which the solute dissolves
ionic
Water's polarity gives it the ability to dissolve both _____ compounds and other molecules. Without exaggeration, water is the greatest solvent on Earth.
suspensions
mixtures of water and undissolved materials
pH scale
measurement system used to indicate the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in solution; ranges from 0 to 14
acid
any compound that forms hydronium ions in a solution
base
any compound that forms hydroxide ions in a solution
buffers
weak acids or bases that can react with strong acids or bases to prevent sharp, sudden changes in pH
valence electrons
the electrons available to form chemical bonds
macromolecules
A very large organic molecule composed of many smaller molecules
polymerization
a chemical process that combines several monomers to form a polymer
monomer
small chemical unit that makes up a polymer
polymer
A long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together
primary structure
the sequence of a protein's amino acids
secondary structure
The second level of protein structure; the regular local patterns of coils or folds of a polypeptide chain
tertiary structure
The third level of protein structure; the overall, three-dimensional shape of a polypeptide
chemical reaction
process that changes, or transforms, one set of chemicals into another set of chemicals
reactants
the elements or compounds that enter into a chemical reaction
products
the elements or compounds produced by a chemical reaction
exergonic
a reaction that releases energy
endergonic
a reaction that absorbs energy
activation energy
the energy that is needed to get a reaction started
catalyst
substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction
enzymes
proteins that act as biological catalysts
substrates
the reactants of enzyme-catalyzed reactions
enzyme to active site to substrate
lock to keyhole to key = _______ to _______ ______ to _______
37
Enzymes produced by human cells typically work best at ___ degrees Celsius, which is the normal temperature of the human body.
enzymes
Temperature, pH, and regulatory molecules can affect the activity of ______.
carbon dioxide
Without the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, your body would not be able to remove _______ _____ from the bloodstream, and you would not be able to survive.