08/29/25
Course context and chapter framing
Instructor notes: Chapter 2 in this edition combines what used to be two separate chapters in the red-covered edition (water and chemistry) into one, which creates a narrative shift in how the material flows.
Audience critique: The textbook assumes a traditional science-track background (high school physics and chemistry, prior biology), but the class is at a community college with many students pursuing vocational paths in medical/health professions; chemistry prerequisites are not guaranteed, so the instructor plans to skip non-essential content and add missing foundational material to bring everyone to the same baseline.
Homework logistics: Chapter 1 homework remains; Chapter 2 homework will open on Wednesday due to Monday holiday; students should complete the Chapter 1 tasks first.
Two big adjustments to expect in this course in relation to the textbook:
Omit/skip material not essential for biology-focused understanding.
Add foundational chemistry concepts not explicitly covered in the text to ensure a common baseline.
Nine key focus areas (overarching objectives for the chapter)
1) Properties of matter
2) Atoms and elements
3) Structure of atoms and how they relate to biological entities
4) Relationship to atomic structure and the periodic table
5) Identify the most important and most common elements found in living systems (distilling the ~130+ elements to ~15 common in biology)
6) How molecules form and how atoms form compounds; terminology note: in biology, molecules and compounds are used somewhat interchangeably, but in chemistry they can be distinct concepts
7) Chemical bonds: ionic, covalent, and hydrogen bonds
8) Hydrogen bonds: treated as bonds in biology though often described as not being “real bonds” in chemistry; essential for holding molecules together, especially in water
9) Additional topics built for biology students: water states, dissociation, acids/bases, buffers, pH, and basic energy concepts
Matter, atoms, and elements: basic definitions
Matter: anything that occupies space and has mass (definition used in biology).