03 Chemistry and Biochemistry 1 Flashcards
What are the 3 things atoms are made of?
Electrons, protons and neutrons.
How many different elements are present in the human body and which ones account for 96% of them (percentages)?
26. Oxygen (O2) 65%, Carbon (C) 18%, Hydrogen (H) 10%, Nitrogen (N) 3%.
What makes up the nucleus of an atom, and which are poz and neg charged? What are their masses?
Protons and neutrons.
Protons - positive.
Neutrons - no charge.
Both have a mass of 1 each.
What do electrons do, what is their charge and what is their mass?
Negatively charged and buzz around the outside of the nucleus, creating electron cloud/shell.
Virtually no mass at all.
What is a stable element?
It has same number of protons and electrons giving overall neutral charge.
What does the atomic number mean that is assigned to each element of the periodic table top left?
Means the total number of protons in each element.
What does the mass number mean that is in each element of the periodic table at the bottom?
Means the total number of protons and neutrons in each element.
How do we work out the number of neutrons in an element?
Mass number minus atomic number (protons).
What is an Isotope?
Atoms of the same element, which have different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus, which changes the mass.
What are the basic number of electrons around an atom that are the minimum stable requirement?
2, 8, 8, 8.
How many protons, neutrons and electrons in a hydrogen atom and why is it highly reactionary?
1x proton and 1x electron. No neutrons.
It looks for other atoms that need only one electron to fill it’s shell.
Why are some elements inert?
Because they have their outer shell filled with the perfect number of electrons, so don’t react.
How does an atom become an ion, what is this process called and are they positive or negatively charged?
By giving up or gaining electrons.
Ionisation.
Can be either + or -
What is the name for the removal of electrons from an atom or molecule, and how does this effect the potential energy of a compound?
What does it mean when something is reduced and results in what change in energy?
If something has been reduced, what atom is it usually indicative of it gaining?
Oxidisation. Decreases potential energy.
Reduction means that it GAINS electrons and results in an increase of energy of that molecule.
Reduction usually indicative of gaining Hydrogen.
What is the usual element that is removed from a molecule in oxidation and what is the name of this?
Usually hydrogen.
Called dehydrogenation.
What does Ca2+ mean?
Calcium element that has a positive charge because 2 electrons have been removed from it (electrons are negatively charged, so when they are removed, the element becomes more positively charged).
What is the difference between a neutral and non-neutral element?
Neutral has same amount of protons (+) to electrons (-).
If an element has more or less electrons added or minused, it then affects the charge of the element making it more positive or negative.
What does Cl- mean?
Chlorine element that has had 1 electron added making it more negatively charged.
What is a redox reaction?
When oxidation and reduction happens together.
What are free radicals and what do they do and what is this called?
What then happens to the attacked molecule?
Molecules or compounds that have an unpaired electron in their outer shell.
They steal electrons from other stable molecules (oxidation).
Chain reaction of oxidative damage occurs in the attacked molecule.
Where are free radicals created in the following environments:
The body?
The outside environment?
What is a healthy body able to do with free-radicals?
Aerobic respiration, metabolism, inflammation, exercise.
Pollution, sunlight, x-rays, smoking, alcohol.
Healthy body has mechanisms to mop up excess free radicals.
What are 4 types of antioxidants and what do they do?
What makes a good antioxidant?
Vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and enzymes.
Neutralise free radicals by donating an electron to the free radical making them harmless.
Good antioxidants remain stable after giving away an electron.
What is a molecule and a compound?
A molecule is a group of atoms bonded together in a specific arrangement.
A compound is and electrically neutral substance containing two or more elements in a defined ratio.
What is ion bonding and what are the two types?
When ions that are trying to become stable, bond with other ions so that they have the right amount of electrons on their outer shell.
Electrovalence (ionic) bonding.
Covalent bonding.
What is the difference between electrovalence (ionic) bonding and covalent bonding?
Elec (ionic) - one element donates an electron to another.
Covalent - two elements sharing electrons so they both have the number of electrons that they need.
What is electronegativity and what are 4 of the most electronegativital elements?
Where some elements have a lot of electron pulling power.
Fluorine, Chlorine, Oxygen, Nitrogen.
What types of bonds to hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances have?
Hydrophilic - polar-bonds.
Hydrophobic - non-polar covalent bonds.
What is an electrolyte, what can these solutions conduct an why are they essential for the body?
When an ionic compound is dissolved in a solution e.g. salt.
Conduct electricity.
Body needs to conduct electricity for nerve and muscle function.
Exert osmotic pressure for water balance.
Acts as buffers for some acids to maintain the acid/base balance.
What is contained in an acid and what is a base (alkali)?
Acid releases lot’s of H+ ions when dissolved in water.
A base substance binds hydrogen ions in a solution which creates lot’s of OH-.
What does potential and kinetic energy mean?
Where can energy be stored and what is this known as?
What can energy change into?
Stored and expended energy causing movement.
Can be stored between different atoms - known as chemical energy.
Can change into heat.
What are the 4 states of matter and how can matter move from one state to another?
Solid, liquid, gas, plasmas.
Can move state using using physical force such as pressure or temperature.
Every reaction results in the transfer of energy in what three ways?
What are endothermic and exothermic reactions?
To potential energy, to kinetic energy or to heat.
Endothermic takes in heat to use as energy.
Exothermic releases heat into the environment.
What are chemical reactions reliant on and how can this be achieved?
COLLISION of molecules.
Enough molecules in order to collide.
The correct temperature.
Higher energy molecules move faster and more chance in colliding.
Increase in pressure also forces molecules closer together.
What do catalysts do?
Speeds up reactions by lowering the activation energy required, which makes the reaction faster or happen at a lower temperature.
What are inhibitors?
Act antagonistically to catalysts by making them less effective.
What are 4 types of chemical reactions? Explain.
Anabolic = synthesis (building reactions).
Generally endothermic = take in heat.
Catabolism = breaking down reactions.
Generally exothermic = releases energy.
What is a hydrolysis reaction?
What reaction is it when water is formed as the waste product of a reaction?
When water is used to break down the molecule.
Dehydration synthesis reaction.
What symbol is used to show reversible reactions?
Two arrows pointing both ways.
What is biochemistry?
What are the molecules of living things made from and what is the name of other molecules attached to the carbon molecule?
The chemistry of living things.
Carbon.
Functional group.
Name 7 functional molecular groups and what are their main characteristics?
Hydroxyl group - alcohols, -OH, polar h’philic.
Sulfhydryl group - thiols, -SH, polar h’philic.
Carbonyl group - keytones, aldenhydes-a, polar h’philic.
Carboxyl group - in amino acids, h’philic, weak acid or neg particle.
Esters - in lipids and triglycerides.
Phosphates - h’philic, can form double neg charge.
Amines - -NH2 act as weak base. All amino acids contain an amine group at one end.
What are 3 types of carbohydrate, what are they made of?
What do they have many of and what does this allow it to do?
Starches, sugars and cellulose.
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen - C(H2O)
Many OH groups, allows it to form hydrogen bonds and water.