Ch 2: Chemistry of Life pt. 1
atom: the smallest basic unit of matter.
everything is made out of atoms.
Atoms have protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Protons and neutrons form the nucleus in the center
Electrons circle outside the nucleus.
Protons are charged positively, electrons negatively, and neutrons are neutral.
Element: A type of atom that cannot regularly be broken down into a simpler substance.
All atoms of an element have a number of protons that never changes.
The number of electrons determines the properties of the element.
Compound: a substance made of atoms of different elements bonded together in a certain ratio.
Compounds can be different from the base elements. (Ex. gaseous hydrogen and oxygen make water).
Ion: an atom that had gained or lost one or more electrons.
Certain atoms are more stable when they lose or gain electrons.
Ions have an electrical charge, either positive or negative.
Atoms that lose electrons = positively charged ions
Atoms that gain electrons = negatively charged ions
Electrons are usually gained/lost through moving electrons between atoms.
Ionic Bond: A bond that forms through the electrical force between positively and negatively charged ions.
Some atoms share pairs of electrons between them to be stable.
Covalent bond: a bond that forms when atoms share a pair of electrons.
Molecule: two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.
Diatomic molecules are molecules that have two of the same type of atom. (Ex. 2 Oxygen as a molecule).
water has unique properties like how it expands when frozen.
A polar molecule is a molecule that has a region with a slight positive charge and a region with a slight negative charge.
Forms when atoms in a molecule have unequal pulls on shared electrons.
Water is a polar molecule, with the hydrogen atoms having slight positive charges and the oxygen atom having a slight negative charge.
A nonpolar molecule is a molecule that does not have charged regions.
Hydrogen bond: An attraction between a slightly positive hydrogen atom and a slightly negative atom.
Hydrogen bonds give unique properties to water.
Water has a high specific heat, which means it takes longer to heat up.
Water molecules stick to each other better with cohesion.
Water molecules stick to other things better with adhesion.
Cohesion: The attraction among molecules of a substance.
Adhesion: The attraction among molecules of different substances.
Molecules and ions must dissolve in water to take part in chemical processes in cells.
Solution: a mixture of substances that is all the same throughout.
Called a homogeneous mixture (the same).
Requires two parts, the solvent, and the solute.
Solvent: the substance in a solution that dissolves another substance.
Solute: a substance in a solution that dissolves in a solvent.
A solution’s concentration is the amount of solute dissolved in a certain amount of solvent.
Polar substances dissolve more in water than nonpolar substances.
Acid: a compound that releases a hydrogen ion when it dissolves in water.
Bases: compounds that remove H ions from a solution.
pH: A scale that measures the acidity of a solution.
Scale usually between 0 to 14.
0 is the most acidic and 14 is the most basic.
More acid means a higher positive hydrogen ion concentration.
Most organisms need a specific pH.
Buffers help to regulate pH in organisms.
Carbon atoms are the basis of most moluecules that make up living things.
Carbon’s atomic structure gives it special bonding properties so it can bond with many other atoms.
Carbon molecules can be straight chains, branched chains, and rings.
Monomer: a subunit in a complete molecule.
A subunit can be a molecule inside a bigger molecule.
Polymer: a large molecule made of many monomers bonded together
Large molecules are called macromolecules.
Carbohydrates: molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
Include sugars and starches.
Simple sugars are the simplest form of carbohydrates.
Simple sugars bond to make larger carbohydrates.
Lipids: nonpolar molecules that include fats, oils, and cholesterol.
Fatty acids: chains of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms.
Lipids contain fatty acids.
Lipids contain three fatty acids called triglycerides.
Saturated fats have the most hydrogen atoms while unsaturated fats have the least hydrogen atoms.
All cell membranes are mostly made of phospholipid, a lipid with a polar head and a nonpolar end.
A phospholipid’s polar head contains a phosphate group.
Cholesterol is a lipid that is needed in the human body.
Proteins: A large molecule (polymer) made out of smaller molecules (monomers) called amino acids.
Amino acids: molecules that build proteins.
Amino acids form covalent bonds called peptide bonds.
Through peptide bonds, amino acids form polypeptides.
One or more polypeptides form a protein.
The sequence of amino acids effect the structure and function of a protein.
Proteins can be bent with certain elements (Sulfur and hydrogen)
Nucleic Acids: Larger molecules (polymers) that are made out of smaller molecules (monomers) called nucleotides.
Nucleic acids store information on how to build proteins.
A nucleotide is made of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a molecule with nitrogen in it.
Two types of nucleic acids are DNA and RNA.
DNA stores the information to build proteins.
RNA helps build the proteins.
atom: the smallest basic unit of matter.
everything is made out of atoms.
Atoms have protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Protons and neutrons form the nucleus in the center
Electrons circle outside the nucleus.
Protons are charged positively, electrons negatively, and neutrons are neutral.
Element: A type of atom that cannot regularly be broken down into a simpler substance.
All atoms of an element have a number of protons that never changes.
The number of electrons determines the properties of the element.
Compound: a substance made of atoms of different elements bonded together in a certain ratio.
Compounds can be different from the base elements. (Ex. gaseous hydrogen and oxygen make water).
Ion: an atom that had gained or lost one or more electrons.
Certain atoms are more stable when they lose or gain electrons.
Ions have an electrical charge, either positive or negative.
Atoms that lose electrons = positively charged ions
Atoms that gain electrons = negatively charged ions
Electrons are usually gained/lost through moving electrons between atoms.
Ionic Bond: A bond that forms through the electrical force between positively and negatively charged ions.
Some atoms share pairs of electrons between them to be stable.
Covalent bond: a bond that forms when atoms share a pair of electrons.
Molecule: two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.
Diatomic molecules are molecules that have two of the same type of atom. (Ex. 2 Oxygen as a molecule).
water has unique properties like how it expands when frozen.
A polar molecule is a molecule that has a region with a slight positive charge and a region with a slight negative charge.
Forms when atoms in a molecule have unequal pulls on shared electrons.
Water is a polar molecule, with the hydrogen atoms having slight positive charges and the oxygen atom having a slight negative charge.
A nonpolar molecule is a molecule that does not have charged regions.
Hydrogen bond: An attraction between a slightly positive hydrogen atom and a slightly negative atom.
Hydrogen bonds give unique properties to water.
Water has a high specific heat, which means it takes longer to heat up.
Water molecules stick to each other better with cohesion.
Water molecules stick to other things better with adhesion.
Cohesion: The attraction among molecules of a substance.
Adhesion: The attraction among molecules of different substances.
Molecules and ions must dissolve in water to take part in chemical processes in cells.
Solution: a mixture of substances that is all the same throughout.
Called a homogeneous mixture (the same).
Requires two parts, the solvent, and the solute.
Solvent: the substance in a solution that dissolves another substance.
Solute: a substance in a solution that dissolves in a solvent.
A solution’s concentration is the amount of solute dissolved in a certain amount of solvent.
Polar substances dissolve more in water than nonpolar substances.
Acid: a compound that releases a hydrogen ion when it dissolves in water.
Bases: compounds that remove H ions from a solution.
pH: A scale that measures the acidity of a solution.
Scale usually between 0 to 14.
0 is the most acidic and 14 is the most basic.
More acid means a higher positive hydrogen ion concentration.
Most organisms need a specific pH.
Buffers help to regulate pH in organisms.
Carbon atoms are the basis of most moluecules that make up living things.
Carbon’s atomic structure gives it special bonding properties so it can bond with many other atoms.
Carbon molecules can be straight chains, branched chains, and rings.
Monomer: a subunit in a complete molecule.
A subunit can be a molecule inside a bigger molecule.
Polymer: a large molecule made of many monomers bonded together
Large molecules are called macromolecules.
Carbohydrates: molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
Include sugars and starches.
Simple sugars are the simplest form of carbohydrates.
Simple sugars bond to make larger carbohydrates.
Lipids: nonpolar molecules that include fats, oils, and cholesterol.
Fatty acids: chains of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms.
Lipids contain fatty acids.
Lipids contain three fatty acids called triglycerides.
Saturated fats have the most hydrogen atoms while unsaturated fats have the least hydrogen atoms.
All cell membranes are mostly made of phospholipid, a lipid with a polar head and a nonpolar end.
A phospholipid’s polar head contains a phosphate group.
Cholesterol is a lipid that is needed in the human body.
Proteins: A large molecule (polymer) made out of smaller molecules (monomers) called amino acids.
Amino acids: molecules that build proteins.
Amino acids form covalent bonds called peptide bonds.
Through peptide bonds, amino acids form polypeptides.
One or more polypeptides form a protein.
The sequence of amino acids effect the structure and function of a protein.
Proteins can be bent with certain elements (Sulfur and hydrogen)
Nucleic Acids: Larger molecules (polymers) that are made out of smaller molecules (monomers) called nucleotides.
Nucleic acids store information on how to build proteins.
A nucleotide is made of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a molecule with nitrogen in it.
Two types of nucleic acids are DNA and RNA.
DNA stores the information to build proteins.
RNA helps build the proteins.
