0 Flashcards
electronegativity
- Determines the distribution of electrons within a covalent bond
- Higher values indicate stronger attraction of electrons.
Oxygen = 3.5
Nitrogen = 3.0
Sulfur & Carbon = 2.5
Phosphorus & Hydrogen = 2.1 - Electrons in covalent bonds between atoms of equal
electronegativity have a greater potential energy than those between atoms with unequal electronegativity. - Covalent C — H bonds have greater potential energy than O — H or C — O bonds
nonpolar
A nonpolar covalent bond, where the atoms have similar electronegativities. Electrons are distributed equally (or more or less
equally) between atoms.
e. g. C-H (almost equal); O=O (equal)
polar
A polar covalent bond, where the atoms have dissimilar electronegativities. Electrons are distributed unequally between atoms.
e.g. H-O, C-O, H-N
surface tension
Surface tension is a measure of how hard it is to break the surface
of a liquid
– Water has an unusually high surface tension due to hydrogen bonding
between the molecules at the air-water interface and to the water below
H bonding
Hydrogen bonding is a special type of dipole-dipole attraction between molecules, not a covalent bond to a hydrogen atom. It results from the attractive force between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a very electronegative atom such as a N, O, or F atom and another very electronegative atom.
salts
Compounds formed by ionic bonds are called ionic compounds, or salts. Salts, such as sodium chloride (table salt), are often found in nature as crystals.
ionic bonds
§ Instead of sharing electrons, as in covalent bonds, sometimes atoms strip electrons from their bonding partners. § An example is the transfer of an electron from sodium to chlorine. § After the transfer of an electron, both atoms have charges. § A charged atom (or molecule) is called an ion.
Water: The Solvent of Life
Water is a versatile solvent due to its polarity.
- Even large polar molecules such as proteins can
dissolve in water if they have ionic and polar regions
hydration shell
When an ionic compound is dissolved in water, each ion is surrounded by a sphere of water molecules called a hydration shell.
hydrophilic vs phobic
- A hydrophilic substance is one that has an affinity for water (e.g. polar or charged molecules like this protein or the ions Na+ and Cl-). - A hydrophobic substance is one that does not have an affinity for water (e.g. non-polar neutral molecules like lipids or oils).
H atoms in water molecules
§ Sometimes a hydrogen atom in a water molecule making a hydrogen bond with another water molecule shifts from one water molecule to the other.
§ The molecule with the extra proton is now a hydronium ion (H3O+), (it is often represented as simply H+).
§ The molecule that lost the proton is now a hydroxide ion (OH−).
acidity / alkalinity
- An acid is any substance that increases the H+
concentration of a solution.
A base is any substance that reduces the H+
concentration of a solution - acidic: more H+ than OH-; basic: vice versa
Variations in carbon skeletons
- With four valence electrons, carbon can form four
covalent bonds with a variety of atoms. - This ability makes large, complex molecules possible.
- Four ways that carbon skeletons can vary: length, branching, position of double bonds, presence of rings
- In molecules with multiple carbons, each carbon bonded to four other atoms forms a tetrahedral shape.
- However, when two carbon atoms are joined by a double bond, the other atoms joined to the carbons are
in the same plane as the carbons.
isomers
compounds with the
same molecular formula but different
structures and properties.
- Structural isomers have different
covalent arrangements of their
atoms.
- Cis-trans isomers differ in arrangement about a double bond. cis: 2 groups on same side; trans: 2 groups on opposite sides
- Enantiomers differ in spatial arrangement around an asymmetric
carbon, resulting in molecules that are mirror images
macromolecules and cellular function: 1) Fuels. 2) Energy stores. 3) Structural molecules. 4) chemical signals 5) Facilitation of chemical reactions. 6) Cellular (and thus organismal) movement. 7) Storage, transmission, and interpretation of genetic information.
- C L P
- C L P
- C L P
- L (steroids) P
- P (enzymes)
- P
- nucleic acids
importance of enantiomers
§ Enantiomers are important in the pharmaceutical industry.
§ Two enantiomers of a drug may have different effects.
§ Usually only one isomer is biologically active because only
that form can bind to specific molecules in an organism.
- ex: ibuprofen for pain and inflammation; albuterol for asthma
functional groups
- chemical groups that contribute to function by affecting shape of molecule or by being directly involved in chem rxns
- 7 groups most impt in biological processes: HCCASPM hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, amino,
sulfhydryl, phosphate, and methyl groups
hydroxyl
- -OH, HO-; O atom bonded to C skeleton
- alcohols, ex ethanol
- polar
- Can form hydrogen bonds with
water molecules, helping dissolve
organic compounds
carbonyl
- C=O
- Ketones if the carbonyl group is
within a carbon skeleton; Aldehydes if the carbonyl group is at the end of the carbon skeleton - acetone, propanol
• A ketone and an aldehyde may be
structural isomers with different properties.
• Ketone and aldehyde groups are also found in sugars, giving rise to two major groups of sugars: ketoses and aldoses
carboxyl
- “hydroxyl + carbonyl”; C=O + OH; -COOH
- carboxylic/organic acids, ex acetic acid
• Acts as an acid; can donate an
H+ because the covalent bond
between oxygen and hydrogen
is so polar
• Found in cells in the ionized form
with a charge of 1 and called a
carboxylate ion.
amino
- (-NH2) consists of a nitrogen atom single-bonded to two hydrogen atoms and to the carbon skeleton.
- amines, ex glycine
• Acts as a base; can pick up an H+ from the surrounding solution (water, in living organisms)
• Found in cells in the ionized form with a charge of 1
sulfhydryl
- -SH; resembles HYDROXYL in shape; S is the one bonded to C skeleton
- thiols, ex cysteine
- Two sulfhydryl groups can
react, forming a covalent
bond. This “cross-linking”
helps stabilize protein
structure
phosphate
- -OPO3 2-; 1 O bonded to C skeleton, 1 O double-bonded to central P, 2 Os w/ 1- charge, 3 single bonds
- organic phosphates, ex glycerol phosphate
• Contributes negative charge to the
molecule of which it is a part (2
when at the end of a molecule; 1 when located internally
in a chain of phosphates).
• Molecules containing phosphate
groups have the potential to react
with water, releasing energy
methyl
- -CH3; 3 C-H single bonds
- methylated compounds, ex 5-methyl cytidine (component of DNA that has
been modified by addition of
a methyl group)
• Addition of a methyl group to
DNA, or to molecules bound
to DNA, affects the expression
of genes.
• Arrangement of methyl
groups in male and female sex
hormones affects their shape
and function
four classes of life’s organic molecules
– Carbohydrates (polysaccharides): (monomers: sugars or
monosaccharides).
– Lipids: (monomers: glycerol and fatty acids).
– Proteins: (monomers: amino acids).
– Nucleic acids: (monomers: sugars and nucleotide bases).
dehydration rxn
Monomers are connected by a reaction in which two molecules are covalently bonded to each other, with the loss of a
water molecule; this is known as a dehydration reaction. When a bond forms between two monomers,
each monomer contributes part of the water molecule that is
released during the reaction: One monomer provides a
hydroxyl group (—OH), while the other provides a hydrogen
(—H).
hydrolysis
- breaking down a polymer
- The bond between the monomers is broken by the addition of a water molecule, with the hydrogen from the water attaching to one
monomer and the hydroxyl group attaching to the adjacent
monomer. An example of hydrolysis working within our bodies is the process of digestion
carbohydrates: fuels
- Fuels: carbohydrates are a major source of energy for cells. Breaking down simple carbohydrates (sugars) releases energy in a form that cells can use for other processes. ex glucose
monosaccharides
Monosaccharides have molecular formulas that
are usually multiples of CH2O. Glucose (C6H12O6 ) is the most common monosaccharide
Monosaccharides are
classified by…
-the location of the carbonyl group (as aldose or ketose).
-the number of carbons in the carbon skeleton.
- trioses: 3-carbon (c3h6o3)
- pentoses: c5h10o5
- hexoses: c6h12o6
linear and ring structures
Although they are often drawn as linear skeletons, in aqueous solutions many sugars (e.g. glucose) form rings.
disaccharide
2 monosaccs linked by glycosidic linkage