water, acids,bases,ph,buffers,salts,electrolytes

Flashcards testing vocabulary and definitions of chemical reactions, energy types, enzymes, inorganic and organic biomolecules, and basic cell structures based on lecture notes.

Hydrophilic

Referring to solutes with partial or complete charges (ionic or polar covalent bonds) that are able to dissolve in water.

Hydrophobic

Referring to uncharged, nonpolar covalent molecules or compounds that lack charged ends and will not dissolve in water.

Acid

A hydrogen ion ($H^+$) or proton donor that splits into an $H^+$ and an anion in solution, increasing the $H^+$ concentration.

Base

A hydrogen ion ($H^+$) acceptor that splits into cation and anion components, where the negatively charged anion binds free $H^+$ to decrease the solution's $H^+$ concentration.

pH scale

A scale from $0$ to $14$ representing the negative logarithm of a solution's hydrogen ion concentration ($-\log[H^+]$).

Buffer

A chemical system consisting of a weak acid and its conjugate base that resists changes in pH when small amounts of acids or bases are added to a solution.

Salt

A compound composed of a metal cation and a nonmetal anion held together by ionic bonds that dissociates into its ionic components in water.

Electrolyte

Cations and anions in solution resulting from dissolved salts, acids, or bases that conduct an electric current in water.

Monomer

A single subunit that can be combined with others to build larger structures.

Polymer

A large structure consisting of many monomers linked together.

Dehydration synthesis

An anabolic chemical reaction in which two molecules are covalently bonded together by removing a water molecule.

Hydrolysis reaction

A catabolic chemical reaction in which a water molecule is added to break covalent bonds, separating a polymer into its monomers.

Monosaccharide

The simple sugar monomer of carbohydrates, typically composed of 3 to 7 carbon atoms.

Isomer

Compounds that have the same molecular formula but a different arrangement of their atoms.

Disaccharide

A carbohydrate compound formed via dehydration synthesis joining two monosaccharides together by a polar covalent bond.

Polysaccharide

A complex carbohydrate polymer composed of long, branching chains of monosaccharides joined by covalent bonds.

Fatty acid

A basic lipid monomer consisting of a hydrocarbon chain bonded to a carboxylic acid group ($-\text{COOH}$).

Triglyceride

A neutral fat polymer formed by linking three fatty acids to a glycerol molecule via dehydration synthesis.

Saturated fat

A triglyceride containing fatty acid chains with no double bonds between carbon atoms, allowing the straight chains to pack tightly as a solid at room temperature.

Unsaturated fat

A triglyceride containing one or more double bonds in its fatty acid chains, causing kinks that prevent tight packing and forming a liquid at room temperature.

Phospholipid

An amphiphilic lipid containing a glycerol attached to two nonpolar fatty acid tails and a polar phosphate group.

Amphiphilic

Describing a molecule that contains both polar (hydrophilic) and nonpolar (hydrophobic) regions.

Steroid

A nonpolar lipid class sharing a four-ring hydrocarbon structure called the steroid nucleus.

Amino acid

The monomer of proteins, featuring a central carbon atom bonded to an amino group ($-\text{NH}_2$), a carboxylic acid group ($-\text{COOH}$), a hydrogen atom, and a variable R group.

Peptide bond

A covalent bond formed between amino acids to create a polypeptide chain.

Primary structure

The linear amino acid sequence bound by peptide bonds in a polypeptide chain.

Secondary structure

The folding or bending pattern of a polypeptide chain (such as an ̑\alpha-helix or ̑\beta-pleated sheet) caused by hydrogen bonds between amino acids.

Tertiary structure

The final three-dimensional shape that a polypeptide chain assumes after folding, stabilized by R group interactions.

Quaternary structure

The structural level of a protein formed by the assembly of two or more individual polypeptide chains.

Nucleotide

The monomer of nucleic acids, consisting of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, and a phosphate group.

Purines

Nitrogenous bases containing a double hydrocarbon ring structure, specifically adenine (A) and guanine (G).

Pyrimidines

Nitrogenous bases containing a single hydrocarbon ring structure, specifically cytosine (C), uracil (U), and thymine (T).

Complementary base pairing

The specific hydrogen bonding pattern between opposite nitrogenous bases in DNA, where adenine bonds to thymine ($\text{A}-\text{T}$) and cytosine bonds to guanine ($\text{C}-\text{G}$).

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

A nucleotide that serves as the body's primary source of chemical energy to drive cellular processes.