The Chemistry of Life (Midterm Review)

Atom

basic unit of matter - make up living things

Atoms are made up of:

even smaller particles that make up atoms (subatomic particles)

What are those subatomic particles:

Protons, Nuetrons, Electrons

Center of an atom:

Nucleus

Nucleus contains:

protons and neutrons

Proton has a ___ charge and a neutron has a ___ charge:

positive, neutral/no charge

An electron is:

negatively charged particle (-), smaller than a proton, and found surrounding the nucleus in shells

Electrons are always in

motion

First shell:

2 electrons

Second shell:

8 electrons

Third shell:

18 electrons

Atoms are as _ cancel out.

neutral - positive and negative charges

Element:

pure substance consisting of ONE type of atom

An element is often represented by

one or two letter symbols (ex: C = carbon, CL = chlorine, 0= = oxygen)

Atomic Number:

total number of protons in an element

What can the atomic number tell us?

This can tell you the # of the rest of the particles in the atom

Atomic mass/mass number:

total number of protons + neutrons

A valence shell is:

The outermost shell of an atom

What does the valence shell want

8 electrons

Life on earth is called

carbon based

Organic compounds ALL have

carbon + hydrogen

6 major elements to life: CHONPS

Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulfuir

Isotope

atoms that are the same element but differ in the number of neutrons only

In nature, elements combine with each other to

form compounds

Compound:

substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements

Most abundant compound in living things

water

Compounds are written in terms of

a chemical formula

What does a chemical formula show us?

what elements are in the compound and how many of each there are

How to read chemical formulas:

fixc this later (ex- H20 = 2 hydrogens and 1 oxygen)

To make compounds, elements must

bond together through one of two main types - ionic or covalent bonding

Ionic bonds

bond formed when one or more electrons are TRANSFERRED from one atom to another

Ions

atoms that have lost or gained an electron

*Lose an electron

positive charge ion (cation)

*Gain an electron

negative charged ion (anion)

Covalent Bond:

bond formed when one or more electrons are SHARED by elements

4 major organic molecules:

Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids, Nucleic Acids

(Covalent Bond) Sharing two electrons =

single bond

(Covalent Bond) Sharing four electrons =

double bond

(Covalent Bond) Sharing six electrons =

triple bond

When atoms join together ____, we call these ____ - smallest unit of most compounds

covalently, molecules

On top of the strong bonds (ionic and covalent) ____ interactions are just as important between ___ and _____.

weak, atoms, molecules

Van der Waals forces provide ___ attractions between ____ when they are very close together.

slight, molecules

_____ is also an example of weak interactions/Van der Waals forces.

Hydrogen bonding

Carbon: Atomic Number, Atomic Mass, PNE

6, 12.011, 6, 6, 6

Hydrogen: Atomic Number, Atomic Mass, PNE

1, 1.00794, 1, 0, 1

Oxygen: Atomic Number, Atomic Mass, PNE

8, 15.994, 8, 8, 8

Nitrogen: Atomic Number, Atomic Mass, PNE

7, 14.0067, 7, 7, 7

Phosphorus: Atomic Number, Atomic Mass, PNE

15, 30.97376, 15, 16, 15

Sulfur: Atomic Number, Atomic Mass, PNE

16, 32.06, 16, 16, 16

Carbon bonds with other elements but it will also form bonds with

other carbon atoms 

These combinations of carbons are called

hydrocarbons (H3-CH2-CH2-CH2…)

These bonds can be __________ with other carbons which produces carbon chains or can even from rings

single, double,or triple bonds

Due to the bonding nature of carbon, we can form large organic molecules called

macromolecules

small units of a macromolecules

monomers

monomers that joined together

polymers

process of building larger molecules from smaller ones

polymerization

Carbohydrates are made up of 

CHO, ratio 1:2:1 (example - C6H12O6)

Short term storage and release energy

Carbohydrate function (1)

Major energy source for body

Carbohydrate function (2)

Structural support

Carbohydrate function (3)

Protection

Carbohydrate function (4)

Monomer of carbohydrates 

monosaccharide (glucose, galactose, fructose)

Disaccharides

two monosaccharides together (sucrose, maltose, lactose)

Breaking down sugars creates

energy immediately for cells

Many organisms will store energy in the form of

starches

Starches are ____, and contain ___

complex, multiple monomers

Polymer of carbohydrates is

Polysaccharide

Polysaccharide (how many, and example)

3 or more monosaccharides combined (glycogen, starch, cellulose)

In plants, polysaccharide equals

starch (how plants store excess sugars)

In animals, polysaccharide equals

glycogen

When sugar is low, we break down glycogen ______

to get energy

Each time a monosaccharide combined with another one, a

water molecule is released

When bonds are formed, 

energy will be stored

Dehydration Synthesis

process in which two molecules combine and water is released

how dehydration synthesis occurs

-OH from one monosaccharide removed and an -H removed from the other, creates water (which is why water is released during process)

(Hydrolosis) When bonds are broken,

energy is released

Hydrolysis

chemical reaction where water is ADDED and a compound is broken apart

Lipids

a group of macromolecules that are generally not soluble in water

What do Lipids contain? 

CHO mainly C and H

compounds for Lipids we know as

fats, oils, and waxes

3 types of lipids

triglyceride, phospholipids, sterols/steroids

Lipids don't have true

monomers or polymers

Lipids are made up of

a glycerol molecule and fatty acids

Triglyceride is made up of

glycerol and 3 fatty acid tails

Saturated Fatty Acid

carbon chain is all single bonds and saturated with hydrogens

Unsaturated Fatty Acids

one or more carbons are double bonded together creating a bend

Saturated fatty acids are usually ____ at room temperature

solid - stack on top of each other (ex. butter)

Unsaturated fatty acids are usually ____ at room temperature

liquid - double bonds create a bend that prevent these from stacking (ex. oils)

Monounsaturated =

one double bond

Polyunsaturated =

2 or more double bonds

Cell membranes are made up of

phospholipids

2 parts of a phospholipid

Hydrophilic head, Hydrophobic tails 

The tails part of a phospholipid face

towards each other in the center, where heads face exterior

The heads of the phospholipids form _____ protecting the

a bilayer, water fearing tails

Long term energy storage - energy stored in fatty acids

Lipid function (1)

Play a role in cell membranes - phospholipids

Lipid function (2)

Waterproof coverings

Lipid function (3)

Steroid hormones - chemical messengers

Lipid function (4)

What are nucleic acids made up of

CHONP

Monomer of nucleic acids

nucleotides